CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Child Minding: Registration

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of childminders were deregistered in each year since 1997, broken down by reason for deregistration;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of  (a) daycare settings and  (b) childminders in Basingstoke were awarded ratings of (i) outstanding, (ii) good, (iii) satisfactory and (iv) inadequate following an inspection by Ofsted in each of the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: These are matters for Ofsted. The Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and copies of her replies have been placed in the Library.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 30 April 2008:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	The regulation of Early Years provision transferred from Local Authorities to Ofsted in September 2001, and was subject to transition arrangements until the end of March 2003.We are only able to provide figures after this transition period, from April 2003.
	The data table attached contains figures for each financial year and these are taken from the snapshot of provider lists taken on the first working day of April each year.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to right hon. Beverley Hughes MP, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families, and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.
	
		
			  Numbers and proportions of childminders deregistered in each financial year since 2003( 1) 
			Number  Percentage 
			  Financial year  Number of Childminders at the beginning of the financial year  Cancelled  Resigned  Total  Cancelled  Resigned  Total 
			 2003/04 68,165 1,209 10,864 12,131 2 16 18 
			 2004/05 72,380 2,970 12,378 15,477 4 17 21 
			 2005/06 70,182 968 9,454 10,458 1 13 15 
			 2006/07 71,622 3,204 9,739 13,012 4 14 18 
			 2007/08 69,925 2,859 11,973 14,889 4 17 21 
			 (1)Please note that percentages in the data tables may not add up to match the total column due to rounding 
		
	
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 30 April 2008:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	The childcare data tables attached have been derived from the Ofsted Early Years summary reports produced annually and from internal Ofsted data reports. The data for financial years 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 are taken from the Early Years summary reports. The data for years 2003-04 and 2004-05 are taken from Ofsted data reports which provide cumulative data recording the number of inspections during the given financial year.
	The figures for each financial year are derived from the snapshot of providers undertaken on the first working day of April each year and include active providers only. For each financial year our figures use the most recent inspection visits, where the reports have been quality assured or have not been withdrawn from publication.
	Please note that the outcome judgements changed from a 3-point scale in April 2005 (good, Satisfactory or unsatisfactory), to a 4-point scale (outstanding, good, satisfactory or inadequate) thereafter. Direct comparisons should therefore not be made between these reports scales.
	The selection of providers for inspection each year is not random. As a result, it is possible that groups of 'stronger' or 'weaker' providers are selected, biasing the inspection outcomes. The distribution of inspection grades in any one year, therefore, does not necessarily reflect the national position.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to right hon. Beverley Hughes MP, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
	
		
			  Judgment on the quality gradings from  c hild  care inspections, in Basingstoke of active Childminders  across the years ( 1) 
			   Number of Inspections  Percentage 
			  2003 to 2005  Good  Satisfactory  Unsatisfactory  Total  Good  Satisfactory  Unsatisfactory 
			 2003/04 22 45 0 67 33 67 0 
			 2004/05 93 52 0 145 64 36 0 
		
	
	
		
			   Number of Inspections  Percentage 
			  2005 to 2008  Outstanding  Good  Satisfactory  Inadequate  Total  Outstanding  Good  Satisfactory  Inadequate 
			 2005/06 2 40 15 1 58 3 69 26 2 
			 2006/07 0 26 16 5 47 0 55 34 11 
			 2007/08 8 51 34 10 103 8 50 33 10 
			 (1) Please note that percentages in the data tables may not sum to 100 per cent. due to rounding. 
		
	
	
		
			  Judgment on the quality gradings from  c hild  care inspections, in Basingstoke of active Day care providers across the years ( 1) 
			   Number of Inspections  Percentage 
			  2003 to 2005  Good  Satisfactory  Unsatisfactory  Total  Good  Satisfactory  Unsatisfactory 
			 2003/04 12 19 0 31 39 61 0 
			 2004/05 26 13 0 39 67 33 0 
		
	
	
		
			   Number of Inspections  Percentage 
			  2005 to 2008  Outstanding  Good  Satisfactory  Inadequate  Total  Outstanding  Good  Satisfactory  Inadequate 
			 2005/06 0 12 11 2 25 0 48 44 8 
			 2006/07 2 12 10 2 26 8 46 38 8 
			 2007/08 2 21 9 2 34 6 62 26 6 
			 (1) Please note that percentages in the data tables may not sum to 100 per cent. due to rounding.

Children

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his estimate is of the proportion of children living with both parents in each local authority area.

Tom Watson: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the estimate is of the proportion of children living with both parents in each local authority area. (200984)
	As no published tables exist that provide the requested figures, Table C0905 has been specially run and is based on 2001 Census Theme Table on all dependent children (T01). The table covers all local authorities in England and Wales and has been deposited in the House of Commons Library.

Children In Care: Nurseries

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of children in care aged  (a) three and above and  (b) below three attended daycare nursery in each of the last 10 years.

Beverley Hughes: The 2006 Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey estimated that there were 766,900 children attending full day care providers in England. The proportion of children attending, by age, for each year available, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Table 1: Percentage of children attending full day care provision,  by age 
			  Percentage 
			   2005  2006 
			  Total number of children 704,200 766,900 
			 Under two years old 21 20 
			 Two years old 24 24 
			 Three years old 28 31 
			 Four years old 20 21 
			 Five to seven years old 4 2 
			 Eight years old and over 3 1 
			  Note: Percentages may not sum to 100 per cent. due to rounding. 
		
	
	The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey does not collect information about children in care.

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) childminders,  (b) all daycare providers,  (c) private, voluntary and independent daycare providers and  (d) children's centres there are in each local authority classified by index of multiple deprivation decile.

Beverley Hughes: Information is not collected on the number of providers by index of multiple deprivation decile.
	Since 2003 Ofsted has been responsible for the registration and inspection of childcare providers. A table showing the number of providers and places registered with Ofsted at 31 March 2007 by each local authority has been placed in the Library.

Children's Centres

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many Sure Start children's centres there will be in 2010;
	(2)  how many Sure Start children's centres have been closed in  (a) the Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in each year since their inception;
	(3)  how much capital funding for Sure Start children's centres in  (a) the Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England his Department has provided in each year since the Sure Start programme commenced;
	(4)  how many outreach workers his Department has employed in  (a) the Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in each of the last five years;
	(5)  how many Sure Start children's centres have been established in  (a) the Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in each year since the Sure Start programme commenced.

Beverley Hughes: There are currently 2,906 designated Sure Start Children's Centres in England. By 2010 there will be 3,500 children's centres, one for every community. No centres have been closed since their inception. Prior to 2004 there were 524 Sure Start Local Programmes, the vast majority of which have now made the transition into children's centres.
	The further information requested is given in the tables below. Local authorities are responsible for the establishment and operation of children's centres. The Department does not collect information on the number of outreach workers employed by children's centres.
	
		
			  Sure Start Local Programmes 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  2003 
			  (a) Jarrow 0 0 1 2 2 
			  (b) South Tyneside 0 1 2 4 5 
			  (c) North East 4 20 30 53 62 
			  (d) England 22 124 240 401 524 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are cumulative. 2. Figures are available for England only. 3. Most SSLPs have now been designated as children's centres. 
		
	
	
		
			  Designated Children's Centres 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  31 March 2008 
			  (a) Jarrow 0 1 3 4 5 6 
			  (b) South Tyneside 0 3 6 9 10 12 
			  (c) North East 6 31 51 114 147 182 
			  (d) England 59 189 443 1,049 1,888 2,906 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are cumulative. 2. Figures are available for England only. 3. Former SSLPs that have become children's centres are included in these figures. 
		
	
	
		
			  All Sure Start Local Programme and Children's Centre Capital Expenditure Estimates 
			  £ million 
			   1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			  (b) South Tyneside 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.963 0.769 1.075 3.630 0.606 
			  (c) North East 0.000 0.058 3.272 11.098 12.233 12.708 35.789 16.152 
			  (d) England 3.588 1.278 7.816 70.686 83.934 145.923 314.171 219.371 
			  Notes: 1. Data is not available by constituency so we are unable to provide figures for (a) Jarrow. 2. Data is available for England only. 3. The South Tyneside data is actual expenditure but that for the North East and England contains estimates because we do not yet have final data for the entire population. 4. For 2006-07, the expenditure data includes integrated projects (i.e. those which target more than one policy area).

Children's Centres: Manpower

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many children's centre outreach workers he proposes to provide by 2010;
	(2)  how many outreach workers he proposes to provide in each children's centre in the super output areas ranked in the  (a) first to third,  (b) fourth to seventh and  (c) eighth to tenth deciles of deprivation by 2010.

Beverley Hughes: We expect all Sure Start Children's Centres to provide outreach services, although the level and intensity of such provision will vary according to the needs of the local community. Outreach is part of the role of a wide range of practitioners. While many practitioners engaged in outreach to families with young children will be employed in a children's centre or by a local authority, we encourage local authorities to build on other existing local capacity, such as health visitors, relevant third sector workers, and trained volunteers. Our priority is to help children's centres in the most disadvantaged areas to build their outreach capacity to meet local needs. In this context, children's centre revenue funding provides local authorities with resources for two additional outreach practitioners per children's centre in the most deprived (super output) areas.
	We will be reviewing the delivery of outreach in a range of settings with a view to establishing core principles and standards for effective and comprehensive outreach services. We will support this with appropriate training materials and courses and will provide additional funding for practitioners in children's centres to take up new training opportunities.

Class Sizes

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government have taken to improve pupil to teacher ratios since 1997.

Jim Knight: The Government have been able to improve the PTR by increasing the supply of teachers. There are now 441,200 teachers in our schools, almost 41,000 more than in 1997. In this period the overall PTR has fallen from 18.6 to 16.9.
	The PTR is also influenced by the rise and fall in pupil numbers over time. The Government regularly models the number of teacher training places required in future years by taking account of this and a range of other factors.

Departmental Pensions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what his most recent estimate is of the unfunded liability in present value terms of each public sector pension scheme for which his Department is responsible; and on what assumptions for  (a) discount and  (b) longevity the estimate is based;
	(2)  what the unfunded liability in present value terms was of each public sector pension scheme for which his Department is responsible in each year since 1990-91.

Jim Knight: The Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) is an unfunded defined benefit scheme. Liabilities are estimated each year by the Government Actuary's Department and a statement is included in scheme resource accounts.

Financial Services: Education

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to introduce personal finance education as part of the future schools curriculum at  (a) primary and  (b) secondary level; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: It is crucial that all young people leave school with the skills and confidence to manage their money well. Personal finance education is already part of Personal, Social and Health Education at Key Stages 1 to 4. However, the revised curriculum for secondary schools includes a new dedicated programme of study for 'Economic Well Being and Financial Capability' as part of a revised Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education. The new curriculum will begin teaching from September 2008 and will add a new focus on financial education in secondary schools. Sir Jim Rose is currently carrying out an independent review of the primary curriculum. He is due to report to Ministers in March 2009.
	Additionally, citizenship education, which is statutory at Key Stages 3 and 4, requires that 14 to 16-year-olds be taught how the economy functions, including the role of business and financial services. We are also introducing functional mathematics to the maths GCSE, which means that from 2010 all pupils who achieve a grade C or above will have mastered the basics.
	To support schools in meeting these curriculum requirements, we are investing £11.5 million over the next three years to support good financial education in schools. This investment will support revised curriculum guidance for financial capability, innovative curriculum resources with the Child Trust Fund as a focus, and more high-quality training and support for teachers.

Food: Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people are training to teach food technology.

Jim Knight: The following table shows the total number of trainees on food technology initial teacher training (ITT) courses for the academic year 2007-08.
	
		
			  Number of trainees on food technology ITT courses 
			   2007-08 
			 Mainstream 230 
			 Employment based ITT 50 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are individually rounded to the nearest 10 2. Figures for mainstream trainees include universities and other HE institutions, SCITT and OU, but exclude employment based ITT (EBITT) schemes. 3. Figures include trainees who are resitting all or part of their ITT programme. 4. Figures are for the total number of trainees on ITT courses therefore include all trainees at all stages on courses of one to five year durations. 5. EBITT figures include trainees through the graduate teacher programme (GTP), the registered teacher programme (RTP), the overseas trained teacher programme (OTTP). There are currently no trainees on a food technology Teach First (TF) programme. Figures are taken from the employment based ITT data management system as at 30 April 2008 and are subject to change, 6. Trainees who withdrew before their programme start date are removed from the above data.  Source: ITT Trainee Number Census and TDA Employment Based ITT Database 
		
	
	Approximately 800 secondary school food technology teacher training places will be made available over the three-year period 2008-09 to 2010-11.

Languages: GCE A-Level

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils obtained an A-level in  (a) German,  (b) French and  (c) Spanish in each year since 2000.

Jim Knight: The information is as follows.
	
		
			   Number of pupils obtaining a GCE A level  Percentage of pupils entered into exam obtaining a GCE A level 
			  French   
			 1999-2000 14,060 92.3 
			 2000-01 14,148 91.9 
			 2001-02 13,214 97.2 
			 2002-03 12,637 97.9 
			 2003-04 12,298 98.5 
			 2004-05 11,802 98.7 
			 2005-06 12,063 99.0 
			 2006-07 12,028 99.0 
			
			  German   
			 1999-2000 7,092 93.5 
			 2000-01 7,096 93.3 
			 2001-02 6,188 97.2 
			 2002-03 5,916 97.5 
			 2003-04 5,523 97.9 
			 2004-05 5,141 98.1 
			 2005-06 5,456 98.6 
			 2006-07 5,557 99.0 
			
			  Spanish   
			 1999-2000 4,207 93.2 
			 2000-01 4,174 92.7 
			 2001-02 4,314 97.4 
			 2002-03 4,434 98.4 
			 2003-04 4,576 98.4 
			 2004-05 4,883 99.0 
			 2005-06 5,148 99.0 
			 2006-07 5,431 98.9 
			  Note: Figures relate to 16 to 18-year-olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August) in all schools and colleges.

Literacy: Teaching Methods

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which reading programmes are approved by his Department for the teaching of synthetic phonics.

Jim Knight: High-quality, systematic phonics, as advocated by the Rose review, should be the prime approach in teaching children to read.
	The Department does not approve commercial phonics teaching programmes. To help schools and early years settings in choosing the appropriate phonics support, we have provided a set of core criteria that define the key features of an effective phonics teaching programme. The core criteria build directly on Jim Rose's recommendations.
	Schools and settings are able to access self-assessments of commercial phonics resources on the Department's phonics website at
	www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/phonics/.
	However, the existence of publishers' self-assessments on this site does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement of the products they represent.

Nurseries: Standards

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) maintained and (b) independent nurseries in each local authority were placed in special measures in each year since 2001.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HMCI Christine Gilbert has written to the hon. Member, and a cop of her reply has been placed in House Library.

Nurseries: Vacancies

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of trends in the level of staff vacancies in  (a) maintained and  (b) private voluntary and independent nurseries since 1997.

Beverley Hughes: The 2006 Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey estimated that there was a total of 10,400 vacancies in childcare providers (full day care, sessional care and out of school clubs).
	The percentage of settings recruiting for none, one, two and three or more vacancies, by type of ownership is shown in Table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1: Percentage of providers trying to recruit staff, by type of provision and ownership, 2006 
			   Private  Voluntary 
			  Number of vacancies  None  1  2  3+  None  1  2  3+ 
			  Full day care 
			 Senior Manager 86 13 <0.5 0 88 12 0 0 
			 Supervisory staff 42 44 10 3 49 46 5 0 
			 Other paid childcare staff 51 34 11 4 43 42 13 1 
			  Sessional 
			 Senior Manager (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 86 14 0 0 
			 Supervisory staff (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 55 41 5 0 
			 Other paid childcare staff (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 41 40 19 0 
			  Out of school clubs 
			 Senior Manager 82 16 0 0 84 14 1 0 
			 Supervisory staff 49 24 18 4 51 41 4 4 
			 Other paid childcare staff 43 34 14 3 43 28 18 10 
			 (1) Data not included due to a very low base size.   Notes:  1. Figures on numbers of vacancies being recruited for in providers under local authority, school/college or other types of ownership are not shown due to very low base sizes.  2. Percentages may not sum to 100 per cent due to rounding and 'don't know' responses. 
		
	
	Data on numbers of vacancies being recruited for in providers under local authority, school/college or other types of ownership are not available due to very low base sizes.
	Figures for previous years are not available.

Pre-School Education

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of existing early years workers who will require additional qualifications once the integrated qualifications framework comes into effect.

Beverley Hughes: The integrated qualifications framework, which will be available in 2010, will not impose a requirement for existing early years workers to undertake additional qualifications. The Department has not therefore made any such estimate.

Pupils: English Language

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what additional support is provided for schools with large numbers of children who have English as a second language; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what additional funding is made available to  (a) primary schools and  (b) secondary schools in respect of each pupil who has English as a second language; what the duration of the additional funding is; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Government provide funding for children including those with English as an additional language through the Dedicated Schools Grant. This grant is supplemented by substantial provision through the ring-fenced Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG) distributed to local authorities. For 2008-09 EMAG is worth £187.6 million, rising to £206 million in 2011.
	In addition, an Exceptional Circumstances Grant has been introduced to reflect changes in local authorities' pupil numbers which occur after the three- year indicative allocations of the Dedicated Schools Grant have been announced. It has three elements, covering an increase of more than 2.5 per cent. in overall pupil numbers; an increase of more than 2.5 per cent. in the proportion of pupils with English as an additional language; and a one-off payment to authorities with proportions of pupils with English as an additional language below 10 per cent. which go up by more than 2.5 per cent.

Pupils: English Language

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance his Department provides for  (a) local authorities and  (b) schools on the entering for key stage tests of pupils with English as a second language who arrive in England and are enrolled in school shortly before the test date; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department's advice is set out in: "New Arrivals Excellence Programme: Guidance" published in September 2007, of which a copy has been placed in the Library. It draws attention to the importance of initial assessment for new arrivals, and advises on appropriate methods. Guidance on entering children for key stage tests is provided by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority through its Assessment and Reporting Arrangements publications, which can be accessed from the website
	www.qca.org.uk/eara
	This guidance covers all children, whether or not they have recently arrived in the UK or have English as an additional language. In essence the advice is to enter children wherever they are working at the level of the tests. However, schools may apply for a recently arrived child's results not to be recorded in published Attainment and Achievement Tables.

Pupils: English Language

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the proportion of pupils who spoke English as a second language in  (a) primary schools,  (b) secondary schools and  (c) all schools in each local authority area in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The proportion of pupils whose first language was other than English for the years 1997 to 2008 (provisional) is as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Primary  Secondary 
			 1997 7.8 7.3 
			 1998 8.5 7.8 
			 1999 8.4 7.8 
			 2000 8.7 8.0 
			 2001 9.3 8.0 
			 2002 10.0 8.6 
			 2003 10.5 8.8 
			 2004 11.0 8.8 
			 2005 11.6 9.0 
			 2006 12.5 9.5 
			 2007 13.5 10.5 
			 2008 14.4 (1)10.8 
			 (1) 2008 figure includes pupils at city technology colleges and academies; figures for earlier years do not. 
		
	
	Analysis by local authority can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Schools: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of surplus school places there were in those local authorities ranked in the  (a) top 10 and  (b) bottom 10 in terms of the share of pupils achieving five A* to C GCSEs, including English and mathematics in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department collects information from each local authority on the number of surplus school places through an annual survey. The most recent data available relate to the position at January 2007.
	The following table shows the number of surplus places in maintained secondary schools in local authorities that ranked nationally in the top 10 and lowest 10 in terms of the share of pupils achieving five A*-C GCSEs, including English and mathematics.
	
		
			   Percentage of pupils achieving five A*-C GCSE grades or equivalent, including English and Maths( 1)  Surplus as a percentage of total secondary school places 
			  LAs—top10   
			 Sutton 65.00 4 
			 Isles of Scilly 64.70 (2)0 
			 Kingston upon Thames 61.70 5 
			 Redbridge 61.50 3 
			 Trafford 60.80 9 
			 Buckinghamshire 60.50 4 
			 Barnet 59.70 10 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 58.00 16 
			 Rutland 58.00 11 
			 Wokingham 57.60 7 
			
			  LAs—lowest 10   
			 Greenwich 34.00 12 
			 Portsmouth 33.10 9 
			 Nottingham City 33.10 17 
			 Manchester 32.30 9 
			 Middlesbrough 31.90 11 
			 Barnsley 31.50 4 
			 Bristol, City of 31.50 17 
			 Sandwell 30.20 8 
			 Kingston-upon-Hull, City of 30.00 8 
			 Knowsley 26.50 18 
			 (1) Figures relate to pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in all schools published in the Schools Achievement and Attainment tables. (2) The Five Islands Schools on the Isles of Scilly has 2 per cent. surplus places. This is included in our published primary school figures as the school is an all-through school which is middle-deemed primary.

Supply Teachers

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 28 April 2008,  Official Report, column 240W, on supply teachers, what the reasons for the difference in spending on supply teachers between 2005-06 and 2006-07 were; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Following a review of the answer of 28 April 2008,  Official Report, column 240W, and the data given, it appears that a clerical error was made in the response provided.
	The correct value of spend on supply teachers in maintained schools in each year from 1997-98 was as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Supply teaching staff  Agency supply teaching staff  Total 
			 2002-03 484,510,938 356,530,225 841,041,163 
			 2003-04 462,741,309 372,491,669 835,232,978 
			 2004-05 438,806,050 384,905,468 823,711,518 
			 2005-06 454,848,557 434,073,749 888,922,306 
			 2006-07 433,869,906 439,622,332 873,492,238 
		
	
	Prior to 2002-03 expenditure on supply teachers was not separately identifiable, so these data are not available. Data for the period 2007-08 are not yet available.

Teaching Methods

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will place in the Library  (a) the latest data obtained by Ofsted on the extent of setting in schools, broken down by subject, age and pupil and  (b) a copy of his Department's guidance on setting.

Jim Knight: HM Chief Inspector Christine Gilbert has written to the hon. Member with regard to Ofsted's latest data on setting. A copy of her reply has been placed in the Library. I have placed in the Library a copy of the Department's guidance on pupil grouping, 'Grouping Pupils for Success', and the two pieces of independent research, commissioned by the Department, on which this guidance is based: 'Pupil Grouping Strategies and Practices at Key Stage 2 and 3' (published September 2006) and 'Effective Teaching and Learning for Pupils in Low Attaining Groups' (published September 2007).
	'Grouping Pupils for Success' can be accessed at
	http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary/publications/literacy/group_pup_succ/
	'Pupil Grouping Strategies and Practices at Key Stage 2 and 3' can be accessed at
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research/programmeofresearch/projectinformation.cfm?projectid=14415&resultspage=1
	'Effective Teaching and Learning for Pupils in Low Attaining Groups' can be accessed at
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research/programmeofresearch/projectinformation.cfm?projectid=14659&resultspage=1
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 30 April 2008:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response to part (a). The Department for Children, Schools and Families will respond separately to part (b).
	Our current data do not enable us to count or estimate how many lessons in England are set by ability. The attached tables show the data Ofsted has on the proportion of lessons observed during inspections carried out in the academic year 2006/07, by subject, phase of education and year. Inspectors record whether classes are setted, streamed or banded, as one category, or are mixed ability in composition. A third category is used for lessons in which other forms of grouping are used. When a lesson observed is setted, streamed or banded by ability, a note is made of the ability level of the class concerned.
	The data are based on the use of setting, streaming or banding in lessons observed during inspection. Some explanation of these figures may be helpful. Since September 2005, the recording of class organisation has been based either on discussions with the head teacher or teacher by reference to the lesson plan at the time of observation. A much smaller number of lessons is observed than would have been seen under the previous inspection framework. Lessons seen may therefore not represent pupil grouping in the school as a whole.
	For clarity, setting is the term used to describe the organisation of pupils in classes on the basis of their prior attainment in the particular subject being taught. The term banding, which is very similar to streaming, is used when the decision as to which pupils are included in a class is based on the prior attainment in a range of subjects. Ofsted does not differentiate between setting, streaming and banding in the data collected during lesson observations.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.

Truancy: Fixed Penalties

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many parents have received  (a) one,  (b) two,  (c) three and  (d) four or more fixed penalty notices in relation to condoned absenteeism of pupils since 2004; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many parents have received fixed penalty notices in relation to condoned absenteeism of pupils since their inception, broken down by index of multiple deprivation decile; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not available. The Department only collects aggregate data at local authority level on the number of penalty notices issued to parents in respect of the offence of failing to ensure their children's regular school attendance.

Working Tax Credit

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of people claimed the child care element of the working tax credit in  (a) the Basingstoke constituency,  (b) Hampshire and  (c) England in each year since records were available.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 21 November 2007,  Official Report, column 916W.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Council Tax: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many dwellings in each local authority in England had council tax band amendments in 2007-08; how many involved properties moving up one or more bands; and how many moved down one or more bands in each local authority.

John Healey: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Eco-Towns

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in what regard her Department's  (a) policies and  (b) public service infrastructure requirements for eco-town sites differ from the requirements for development at sites which are not designated as eco-towns.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 29 April 2008
	 As set out in the consultation document "Eco-towns—Living a greener future" we have set challenging criteria, which build on policies and infrastructure requirements for development at sites which are not eco-towns. For example, in terms of sustainable transport we have said that the location of major facilities and services such as shops and community facilities should be located within a 10-minute walk of homes within eco-towns. Copies of the consultation document are available in the Library of the House.

Eco-Towns: Council Tax

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will commission research on the likely effect of eco-towns on levels of council tax over the next 25 years for (i) residents of the local authority areas in which each of the proposed 15 eco-towns is situated and (ii) residents of all adjacent local authority areas.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 1 May 2008
	 We are still consulting on the locations and schemes on the shortlist I published on 3 April 2008.

Eco-Towns: Shops

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make it her policy only to allow town centre shops to be permitted in eco-towns to reduce levels of carbon dioxide emissions resulting from transportation.

Caroline Flint: A well designed eco-town will make it easy to travel more sustainably between homes, services and jobs within the settlement. This would include shops and services located within a 10-minute walk of homes within eco-towns and streets designed to accommodate the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and public transport. We will also need to provide for sustainable travel to nearby settlements.

Eco-Towns: West Sussex

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions  (a) she and  (b) her Department have had with Wates Developments Ltd on the proposed eco-town at Ford since 1 January 2005.

Caroline Flint: holding answer7 May 2008
	 Neither the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government nor Ministers in her Department have held meetings with Wates Developments Ltd on the proposed eco-town at Ford since 1 January 2005. On 3 September 2007, officials met members of Wates Developments involved with the proposal for an eco-town at Ford. At the meeting they outlined their expression of interest for an eco-town, and officials confirmed the process and criteria for eco-towns as set out in the "Eco-towns Prospectus", published on 23 July 2007.

Housing: Migration

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research she has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the proportion of projected household growth attributable to net migration in (i) London, (ii) the South East and (iii) the East of England.

Caroline Flint: None. Such information is available at the England level only from the Department's Household Projections.

Waste Disposal

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the Government plan to respond to the Sixth Report of the Communities and Local Government Committee, HC 195, on Refuse Collection: Waste Reduction Pilots, published on 21 February 2008.

John Healey: The Government submitted their response to the Communities and Local Government Committee on 21 April.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Deployment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average tour interval for the  (a) Army,  (b) Royal Air Force,  (c) Royal Navy and  (d) Royal Marines was at the end of the 2007-08 financial year.

Bob Ainsworth: The information is not held in the format requested, as average tour intervals across the single services as a whole are not currently calculated.

Armed Forces: Manpower

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of force elements reported  (a) no serious or critical and  (b) no critical weaknesses against required peacetime readiness levels in each year since 1997.

Bob Ainsworth: We have only been collecting and reporting such information since 2001-02. It has been published in the Department's Annual Report and Accounts and quarterly performance reports for the years since, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Manpower

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of force elements reported  (a) no serious or critical and  (b) no critical weaknesses against the ability to generate from peacetime readiness to immediate readiness for deployment on operations in each year since 1997.

Bob Ainsworth: We have only been collecting such information since 2004-05 and reporting it since 2005-06. It has been published in the Department's Annual Report and Accounts and quarterly performance reports for the years since, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Pay

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of his Department's manning evidence submitted to the Senior Salaries Review Board for each financial year from 1997-98.

Derek Twigg: All available information on the manning evidence submitted to the Senior Salaries Review Body from 1997-98 has now been collated and placed in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Personnel Management

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the effects on his Department's expenditure of the introduction of Joint Personnel Administration in each year since 2005.

Derek Twigg: The implementation costs for Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) by financial year were as follows.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2005-06 14.9 
			 2006-07 37.4 
			 2007-08 22.7 
		
	
	These costs include technical development and delivery costs, but exclude single service costs incurred in adjusting to the new system which were absorbed as part of business operating costs.
	The benefits accrued by financial year were as follows.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2005-06 16.2 
			 2006-07 38.4 
			 2007-08 63.4 
		
	
	These figures include reduced costs within the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency and headcount reductions in each of the Services.
	Consequently, the impact of JPA on departmental expenditure was broadly cost-neutral in 2005-06 and 2006-07, with a saving of some £40 million in 2007-08.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how his Department plans to monitor the impact of the Armed Forces Benefits Calculator on recruitment.

Bob Ainsworth: The Armed Forces Benefits Calculator (ABC) is a new initiative which builds on the success of the pension calculator to provide service personnel with the means of working out an indicative value for their total remuneration package, incorporating basic pay, specialist pay, individual allowances, pension, and other benefits. As such, it is retention focused: the calculator has been developed to better communicate to service personnel the value of their 'total reward' package, and other associated financial remuneration information.
	The MOD also regards strongly the ABC's value to recruiting, because it provides those thinking about joining the armed forces with a means of investigating the type of remuneration and benefits available. In future, the single services will be able to understand its impact, and the role it plays in determining why an individual wishes to enlist, from initial interviews. The calculator uses a combination of existing pay rates and allowances (details of which can be found at http://www.mod-abc.co.uk), and some new values, which have been agreed with subject matter experts and the single services. These new values are included to provide a broad indication of what some of the other benefits that personnel receive in return for military service (such as dental care, and health and fitness facilities) might cost to replicate in civilian life.

Armed Forces: Vehicles

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what timescale his Department has for the phasing out of personnel carriers with  (a) inadequate armour and  (b) those not designed to withstand improvised explosive device detonations;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the operational viability of BAE RG31 vehicles, or similar vehicles, built to withstand improvised explosive device detonations;
	(3)  what assessment his Department has made of the viability of replacing Land Rover and Vector vehicles in Iraq and Afghanistan with armoured vehicles built to withstand improvised explosive device detonations.

Bob Ainsworth: Commanders need a range of vehicles of varying protection, mobility and profile to achieve their missions and tasks and counter the threat.
	In 2006 the BAE RG-31 was considered in detail, along with the ADI Bushmaster and FPI Cougar 6x6, to fulfil the need for a large protected patrol vehicle that could meet our demanding protection requirements in the fastest possible time. The Cougar was selected and is now known as Mastiff; it has undergone rigorous assessment throughout the procurement process and continues to be assessed, in order to counter emerging threats.
	Additional deliveries of Mastiff and a new medium protected patrol vehicle to be called Ridgeback, may allow a reduction in the number of Snatch Land Rovers; however, commanders hold that a role for lighter vehicles on operations is likely to remain, as part of the suite of protected patrol vehicles and high mobility patrol vehicles available to them.

Armed Forces: Vehicles

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what restrictions are in place on the movement of armed forces personnel in the back of 4-tonne vehicles with regard to  (a) maximum distance travelled and  (b) time allowed in the back of the vehicle.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 7 May 2008
	The 4-tonne vehicle referred to in this question is defined as a Dual Purpose Vehicle (DPV). When used to carry passengers, the DPV can be used on public roads for single journeys of not more than 40 miles and not exceeding one hour. This distance and time may only be exceeded when personnel are carrying out operations, training for operations and conducting formal field training exercises.
	DPVs fitted with troop-carrying vehicle enhanced seating are exempt from these time and distance restrictions, when travelling on metalled roads. Where they are used to carry passengers in off road scenarios, journey times should not exceed one hour at 20 to 25 mph over an eight hour period. Enhanced seating is being progressively phased in throughout the DPV fleet.

Armed Forces: Working Conditions

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of service personnel at each rank between OR1 and OR6 have worked above 55 hours per week on average since October 2007.

Bob Ainsworth: The information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) carries out a continuous sample survey of working patterns, which provides information on hours worked in a given week.
	The survey is based on a random sample of 18,000 trained service personnel stratified by service, broad rank group and broad location which aims to provide estimates of the average weekly hours worked for those groups and locations.
	Since any respondent only provides a diary of their working hours for a single week, we cannot make any further inferences about individual working patterns over a prolonged period.
	Work is currently in progress on the 2007-08 Survey of Working Patterns, and the report is expected to be ready towards the end of 2008.

Armed Forces: Working Conditions

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of service personnel at each rank between OR1 and OR6 worked above 55 hours per week on average between October 2006 and October 2007.

Bob Ainsworth: The information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) carries out a continuous sample survey of working patterns, which provides information on hours worked in a given week.
	The survey is based on a random sample of 18,000 trained service personnel stratified by service, broad rank group and broad location which aims to provide estimates of the average weekly hours worked for those groups and locations.
	Since any respondent will only provide a diary of their working hours for a single week, we cannot make any further inferences about individual working patterns over a prolonged period.
	The average weekly hours worked for senior ranks (OR6 to OR9) in 2006-07 was 47.9 and junior ranks (OR1 to OR5) 46.7. Time spent working includes core activities, secondary duties, compulsory fitness, training, organised sports and representational activities but excludes breaks.
	A copy of the 2006-07 Continuous Working Patterns report is in the Library of the House.

Colchester

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the longest period is for which a residential or former residential dwelling of his Department in Colchester constituency has remained empty.

Derek Twigg: Data is only available for residential properties which are currently empty. Of these, seven properties at Colchester have been vacant for seven years awaiting major modernisation. These seven properties now form part of the Colchester upgrade programme spanning financial years 2009-11.
	In 1996, the Ministry of Defence sold most of its Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties in England and Wales to Annington Homes Ltd (AHL), the majority of which were immediately leased back by this Department for defence use. When surplus to defence requirements, properties are handed back to AHL, which is solely responsible for the property until AHL sells the property on the open market. The MOD is not required to maintain records of these properties once they have been handed back to AHL.
	Since May 2007, the total number of void SFA properties in Great Britain has taken from 9,162 to 8,761 properties.

Ex-Servicemen: Housing

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the ability of the Joint Service Housing Advice Office to assist service leavers on their departure from the armed forces.

Derek Twigg: The Joint Service Housing Advice Office's main task is to ensure that the service community is aware of new schemes from both the public and private sector that may help them in their search for civilian housing when they leave the Services.
	During 2007, the JSHAO ran 85 briefings designed to encourage Service personnel to make long term housing provision while they are in service. These briefings were attended by over 2,000 service personnel.
	The JSHAO maintains links with housing associations that have a specific commitment to help service leavers and their housing needs. It also runs a referral scheme, the MOD Nomination Scheme, through which a total of 81 families and individuals were housed in 2007.

Saudi Arabia: BAE Systems

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he or any of the Ministers in his Department has been informed by  (a) BAE Systems and  (b) the Serious Fraud Office of any payments made by BAES to the ex-Saudi ambassador to the US, Prince Bandar bin Sultan.

Des Browne: It is our policy not to comment on commercially or diplomatically sensitive or legally privileged information because to do so would, or would be likely to, prejudice international relations, commercial confidentiality or our legal obligations.

Territorial Army: Northern Ireland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Territorial Army personnel are based in Northern Ireland.

Bob Ainsworth: The number of Territorial Army personnel based in Northern Ireland as at 31 March 2008 was 1,962. Additionally there were 100 TA personnel, normally based in Northern Ireland, mobilised and serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Assets: Consultants

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2844W, on Assets: Consultants, on which  (a) properties and  (b) other parts of the estate each of the firms listed provided advice.

Tom Watson: I have nothing to add to my previous answer.

Cancer

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many newly diagnosed cases of each type of cancer there were in each year since 1997.

Tom Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2008
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question asking how many newly diagnosed cases of each type of cancer there were in each year since 1997.
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of each type of cancer are for the year 2005. Figures for 1997 to 2005 can be found in Tables 1 and 7 of the Annual Reference Volume, Cancer statistics: Registrations, Series MB1, available from the NS website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Productasp?vlnk=8843&Pos=&ColRank=l&Rank=224

Carbon Monoxide: Death

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many deaths there were in England as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning in each year since 1997, broken down by Government Office region.

Tom Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths there were in England as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning in each year since 1997, broken down by Government Office Region. (203133)
	The attached table provides the number of deaths where the toxic effect of carbon monoxide was the cause of death, in England and each government office region, from 1997 to 2006 (the latest year available).
	
		
			  Number of deaths with a cause of carbon monoxide poisoning( 1) , England and Government office regions, 1997 to 2005( 2,3) 
			  Deaths (persons) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 England 816 694 646 527 466 419 358 344 232 240 
			
			 North East 40 46 24 34 23 22 18 16 4 10 
			 North West 129 115 81 51 71 59 66 44 30 30 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 84 68 65 63 49 37 24 41 31 24 
			 East Midlands 87 68 71 55 55 34 31 27 21 26 
			 West Midlands 88 79 87 77 55 52 45 44 32 34 
			 East of England 80 85 72 48 60 57 52 39 31 27 
			 London 81 51 61 45 36 28 27 37 23 18 
			 South East 143 103 117 84 59 72 54 57 38 37 
			 South West 84 79 68 70 58 58 41 39 22 34 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code 986 for the years 1997 to 2000 and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code T58 for the years 2001 to 2006. (2) Based on boundaries as of 2008. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

Childbirth

Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on which dates the number of  (a) live births and  (b) stillbirths that took place in the previous year was published in each of the last five years.

Tom Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2008:
	As the National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question about the dates on which the number of (a) live births and (b) stillbirths that took place in the previous year were published in each of the last five years. (202391)
	The Office for National Statistics is responsible for publishing statistics on the numbers of births registered in England and Wales. The latest year for which figures are available is 2006.
	The table below gives the dates on which the numbers of live births and still births in England and Wales for the years 2002 to 2006 were first published. Live births are first published as part of the first release of births and deaths data. Stillbirths are first published in Health Statistics Quarterly (within the infant and perinatal mortality report).
	
		
			  Date of publication (England and Wales) 
			  Year of birth  Live births  Stillbirths 
			 2002 13 May 2003 2 1 August 2003 
			 2003 13 May 2004 19 August 2004(1) 
			 2004 12 May 2005 25m August 2005(1) 
			 2005 18 May 2006 30 August 2006 
			 2006 7 June 2007(1) 23rd August 2007 
			 (1) Revisions are sometimes necessary if further information becomes available at a later date. In the instances indicated in the table these were made in August following the first release.

Children

Maria Miller: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many and what proportion of  (a) individuals and  (b) couples had at least one child below the age of five in (i) Basingstoke constituency, (ii) Hampshire and (iii) England in each year for which figures are available.

Tom Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2008:
	As National Statistician for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many and what proportion of (a) individuals and (b) couples had at least one child below the age of five years in (i) Basingstoke, (ii) Hampshire and (iii) England in each year for which figures are available. (202989)
	The requested counts for Local Authorities/Parliamentary Constituencies are only available from the Census. Figures from earlier Censuses would only be available at disproportionate cost. The figures from the 2001 Census are provided below:
	
		
			  Area  Lone parent families with at least one dependent child  aged 0 to 4  Percentage of all families with dependent children, who are lone parent families with at least one dependent child  aged 0 to 4  Couple families with at least one dependent child  aged 0 to 4  Percentage of all families with dependent children who, are couple families with at least one dependent child  aged 0 to 4 
			 England 503,391 8.4 1,810,063 30.1 
			 Hampshire 8,478 5.6 48,421 31.9 
			 Basingstoke and Deane District 1,274 6.5 6,620 33.9 
			 Basingstoke Parliamentary Constituency 1,033 7.5 4,640 33.8 
			  Notes: 1. A dependent child is a person in a household aged 0 to 15 (whether or not in a family) or a person aged 16 to 18 who is a full-time student in a family with parent(s). 2. A family comprises a group of people consisting of a married or cohabiting couple with or without child(ren), or a lone parent with child(ren). It also includes a married or cohabiting couple with their grandchild(ren) or a lone grandparent with his or her grandchild(ren) where there are no children in the intervening generation in the household. Cohabiting couples include same sex couples. Children in a couple family need not belong to both members of the couple. 3. The counts for Hampshire exclude the Unitary Authorities of Portsmouth and Southampton.  Source: 2001 Census Tables S007 and CAS007

Children: Bereavement

Maria Miller: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many and what proportion of those under the age of  (a) three,  (b) five and  (c) 16 had been bereaved by the death of their (i) mother, (ii) father and (iii) sibling at the latest date for which figures are available.

Tom Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2008:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many and what proportion of those under the age of (a) three, (b) five and (c) 16 years had been bereaved by the death of their (i) mother, (ii) father and (iii) sibling at the latest date for which figures are available. (202856)
	Although information on the relationship of the informant to the deceased is collected at death registration, information on whether the deceased had living children or siblings when death occurred is not, and therefore the information requested is not available.

Children: Death

Maria Miller: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many and what proportion of children under the age of  (a) three,  (b) five and  (c) 16 died in each year since 1997.

Tom Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2008:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many and what proportion of children under the age of (a) three, (b) five and (c) 16 died in each year since 1997. (202849)
	The total number of deaths and rate per 100,000 for children under the age of (a) three, (b) five and (c) 16 in each year from 1997 to 2006 for England and Wales are shown in the attached table.
	
		
			  Deaths in children by age, England and Wales, 1997-2006( 1) 
			   Number of deaths  Rate per 100,000 population of the same age 
			   Under 3  Under 5  Under 16  Under 3  Under 5  Under 16 
			 1997 4,306 4,545 5,711 223 139 54 
			 1998 4,095 4,321 5,415 214 134 51 
			 1999 4,136 4,351 5,388 217 136 51 
			 2000 3,777 4,001 4,965 203 127 47 
			 2001 3,655 3,868 4,891 202 125 47 
			 2002 3,550 3,737 4,724 199 123 45 
			 2003 3,683 3,894 4,862 206 129 47 
			 2004 3,641 3,826 4,725 200 127 46 
			 2005 3,616 3,767 4,647 193 123 45 
			 2006 3,760 3,927 4,814 196 126 47 
			 (1) Data are for registrations of death in each calendar year.

Citizen Information Project

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recommendations of the Citizen Information Project the Office for National Statistics has implemented; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report.

Tom Watson: The information falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what recommendations of the Citizen Information Project the Office for National Statistics has implemented. (203133)
	On 18 April 2006 ( Official Report, column 1WS) the then Chief Secretary to the Treasury announced that the Government had accepted the recommendations by the CIP team based in the Office for National Statistics. The CIP project was subsequently closed by ONS: the relevant government departments will have been responsible for implementing the recommendations. A copy of the report can be found at:
	http://www.gro.gov.uk/cip

Construction: Manpower

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people were employed in the construction industry in  (a) the Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

Tom Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Katen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question asking how many people have been employed in the construction industry in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK in each year since 1997. (198839).
	The definitive source for the number of people employed is normally the Labour Force Survey (LFS). However, because of the interest in the construction sector, estimates of the number of jobs have been compiled from the Annual Business Inquiry (ABI/1).
	Table 1 attached provides an estimate of jobs in Construction (Standard Industrial Classification (1992) section F) for Great Britain, the North East, South Tyneside and Jarrow for each year from 1997 to 2006, the most recent available. Estimates using the ABI/1 are not available for the United Kingdom.
	Figures from the ABI/1 do not include self-employed jobs and therefore these estimates will understate the actual total number of jobs.
	As with any survey, results from the ABI/1 are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of jobs in Construction Industries( 1, 2) 
			   Thousand (not seasonally adjusted) 
			   Great Britain  North East  South Tyneside  Jarrow( 3) 
			 1997(4) 1,004 53 4 3 
			 1998 1,108 52 3 2 
			 1999 1,131 56 3 2 
			 2000 1,128 56 2 1 
			 2001 1,156 57 2 1 
			 2002 1,163 54 2 1 
			 2003 1,138 53 2 1 
			 2004 1,181 58 2 1 
			 2005 1,213 62 3 2 
			 2006 1,257 60 2 1 
			 (1) Standard Industrial Classification (1992) section F.  (2) The Annual Business Inquiry does not include estimates of self-employment jobs. Therefore the estimates provided will be lower than the actual total.  (3) 1995 Parliamentary Constituency Revision Boundary.  (4) Figures for 1997 are based on estimates from the rescaled Annual Employment Survey and therefore there is a discontinuity between 1997 and 1998.   Notes:  1. Annual Business Inquiry figures are a measure of jobs rather than people. For example, if a person holds two jobs, each job will be counted in the total.  2. Estimates for the United Kingdom using the Annual Business Inquiry are not available.  3. There are significant discontinuities which affect comparisons of the 2006 ABI/1 estimates with earlier years and additionally with respect to changes to Standard Industrial Classifications and Geographies in 2003. More information is available from http://www.statistics.gov.uk/abi/backgroundjnfo.asp.  Source: Annual Business Inquiry (ABI/1)

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much the Cabinet Office spent on carbon offsetting in each of the last three years; and to which companies payments for carbon offsetting were made in each such year.

Phil Hope: The Cabinet Office is a member of the Government carbon offsetting fund (GCOF). The GCOF aims to fulfil the Prime Minister's commitment to offset emissions attributable to all official and ministerial air travel in central Government. It is available to all central Government Departments and provides a simple and cost-effective way to offset, as well as ensuring high environmental integrity. The GCOF runs for an initial period of three years (2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09). The Cabinet Office and DEFRA have offset an extra year (2005-06).
	The Cabinet Office has paid £32,326.88 into the GCOF from April 2005 to April 2007. Data are currently being collected for the 2007-08 reporting year, and will be available later in the year.
	The GCOF is being managed by EEA Fund Management Ltd, which won the contract to source and deliver 255,000 certified emission reduction credits, with a provision for a further 50,000 credits, over three years from a range of clean development mechanism (CDM) projects. Credits will be supplied from the project portfolio of Trading Emissions plc, to whom EEA is the investment adviser.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisors

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what severance payment the Director of Political Strategy in the Prime Minister's Office, Mr Spencer Livermore, will receive upon leaving his post.

Tom Watson: Paragraph 14b of the Model Contract for Special Advisers sets out the circumstances in which severance is paid. Copies of the model contract are available in the Library of the House. Mr. Livermore did not receive a severance payment.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was spent by his Department and its agencies on  (a) alcohol and  (b) entertaining in the last 12-month period for which information is available.

Tom Watson: The Cabinet Office does not keep separate records of expenditure on alcohol or entertaining. Such expenditure is included in the Department's hospitality budget and is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in "Managing Public Money" and other Treasury guidance.

Departmental Sick Leave

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many of his Department's staff took more than  (a) five,  (b) 10,  (c) 15,  (d) 20,  (e) 25,  (f) 30,  (g) 35 and  (h) 40 days leave due to stress in each of the last five years, broken down by pay grade.

Tom Watson: The most recent published absence data for the Cabinet Office are available for the 12 months ending 31 March 2007, in the Analysis of Cabinet Office Statistics. This is available on the civil service statistics website at
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/statistics/sickness.asp.
	Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.
	In order to protect the confidentiality of individuals, it is standard Government practice not to publish records relating to five or less individuals. A breakdown of figures on absence owing to stress by grade and period of absence cannot be provided, since this may compromise the privacy of the individuals because of the small numbers involved.

Departmental Standards

Joan Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how his Department plans to work on social clauses to promote adherence to the Best Value Code of Practice on Workforce Matters and the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Workforce Matters.

Phil Hope: The Department has no plans to work on social clauses to promote adherence to the Best Value Code of Practice on Workforce Matters and the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Workforce Matters. Under the code, public-sector organisations have a responsibility to ensure that service providers implement the code, whereas social clauses cover additional clauses in public service contracts which are used at the discretion of the public sector commissioner.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Mark Todd: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many full-time posts in the Cabinet Office were filled on a temporary basis for a period in excess of six months in each of the last three years.

Tom Watson: For the number of temporary staff working in the Department, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Dan Rogerson) on 22 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 1957-8W, by the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Corby (Phil Hope).
	The Department does not centrally hold information on length of tenure for temporary staff, and the information could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

Employment

Richard Spring: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proportion of those in employment in  (a) Suffolk and  (b) the east of England were British-born UK nationals in each of the last five years.

Tom Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what proportion of those in employment in (a) Suffolk and (b) the East of England were British-born UK nationals in each of the last five years. (201493)
	The Office for National Statistics compiles employment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) and its predecessor the annual Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.
	The attached table shows the percentage of persons of working age (16-64 for men, 16-59 for women) in employment who were British-born UK nationals. Estimates are obtained from the annual LFS for each 12 month period from 2003 to 2004 ending in February. For time series comparisons, the APS estimates from 2005 to 2007 are provided covering the 12 month periods ending in March, but the most recently released estimate is also included, which covers the 12 month period ending in September 2007.
	As these estimates are for a subset of the population in a small geographical area, they are based on small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty.
	In order to produce estimates for small geographical areas, APS and annual LFS estimates are provided based on survey microdata. It should be noted that the estimate provided is weighted to population estimates consistent with those published in 2003. Reweighted analyses using the latest population estimates, published in summer 2007, will available from 14 May 2008.
	
		
			  Table 1 :British born UK nationals as a proportion of those in employment( 1)  in (a) Suffolk and (b) the East of England in the last five years 
			  Percentage 
			  12 months ending :  Suffolk  East of England 
			 February 2003 93 92 
			 February 2004 93 93 
			 March 2005 94 92 
			 March 2006 91 91 
			 March 2007 93 89 
			 September 2007 92 89 
			 (1) Persons of working age (male 16 to 64, female 16 to 59).  Source: Annual Labour Force Survey and Annual Population Survey

Employment

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make an estimate of the number of people who are  (a) in full-time work,  (b) in part-time work for 20 to 30 hours per week,  (c) in part-time work for 10 to 20 hours per week,  (d) in part-time work for less than 10 hours per week and  (e) out of work, broken down by age decile.

Tom Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the number of people (a) in full-time work, (b) in part-time work for 20 to 30 hours per week, (c) in part-time work for 10 to 20 hours per week, (d) in part-time work for less than 10 hours per week and (e) out of work, broken down by age decile. (202553)
	The attached table gives estimates of the number of people in full-time and part-time employment and the number of unemployed people for the categories requested for the three month period ending December 2007.
	It should be noted that the estimates provided are weighted to population estimates consistent with those published in 2003. Reweighted analyses using the latest population estimates, published in summer 2007, will available from 14 May 2008.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  People aged 16 and over by labour market status, three months ending December 2007—United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Thousand 
			   In employment 
			Part-time( 1)  
			  Age group  Full-time( 1)  Total part-time  Less than 10 hours per week( 2)  10 to 19 hours per week( 2)  20 to 30 hours per week( 2)  More than 30 hours per week( 2)  Unemployed( 3) 
			 16 to 19 574 794 284 348 149 14 355 
			 20 to 29 4,452 983 112 390 420 60 431 
			 30 to 39 5,009 1,384 129 492 675 89 257 
			 40 to 49 5,532 1,618 134 530 822 132 244 
			 50 to 59 4,139 1,312 130 399 668 114 181 
			 60 to 69 1,095 857 182 301 332 42 48 
			 Aged 70 and over 49 155 58 47 46 4 3 
			 All aged 16 and over 20,850 7,103 1,029 2,506 3,112 456 1,517 
			 (1) Based on respondents' self-classification of their main job as either full-time or part-time. (2) The weekly hour figures shown relate to the total hours usually worked in an individuals main job. rounded to the nearest hour. (3) Number of unemployed people measured using the internationally agreed definition recommended by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).  Note: The estimates are grossed using population estimates consistent with those published in spring 2003.  Source: ONS Labour Force Survey

Employment: Disabled

John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what his most recent estimate is of the number of people with a registered disability in employment.

Tom Watson: holding answer 23 April 2008
	 The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the most recent estimate of the number of people with a registered disability in employment.
	The Disabled Persons Register used to be maintained by the government under the now defunct Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 came into force in 1996 and ended the facility for disabled people to be registered as such.
	Statistics on workers with health problems or disabilities are available from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). For the reason mentioned above, people who are "registered disabled" cannot be identified but a similar measure is available, as follows. For the three months ending December 2007 there were an estimated 3.5 million people of working age in employment in the UK with a long-term health problem or disability which either substantially limited their day-to-day activities or affected the kind or amount of work they could do, or both.
	Working age refers to men aged 16 to 64 and women aged 16 to 59.
	It should be noted that the estimate provided is weighted to population estimates consistent with those published in 2003. Reweighted analyses using the latest population estimates, published in summer 2007, will available from 14 May 2008.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

Health Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether his Department provides health or social care services out of public funds, with reference to the statement by the Minister of State, Department of Health, in the Health and Social Care Bill Committee, of 17 January 2008,  Official Report, column 327.

Tom Watson: My Department currently provides an occupational health advisory service for staff which may be regarded as health and social care paid for out of public funds for the purposes of the Health and Social Care Bill.

Industrial Health and Safety

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2008,  Official Report, column 593W, on industrial health and safety, what the incident reported in 10 Downing Street between April 2006 and March 2007 was; whether it involved  (a) an injury,  (b) a disease and  (c) a dangerous occurrence; and how many of those affected were (i) civil servants, (ii) special advisers and (iii) Ministers.

Tom Watson: The incident related to the use of a drilling machine by a sub-contractor working on behalf of the Cabinet Office and was recorded as a near-miss/dangerous occurrence under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995. No injuries were suffered by any person.

JP Morgan

David Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much the Cabinet Office paid to JPMorgan in each year since 1997; and what the purpose of each payment was.

Tom Watson: The Cabinet Office has not made any payments to JPMorgan since 1997.

Low Incomes: Taxation

Peter Bone: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what research the Social Exclusion Unit has undertaken on the effects of the tax system on low-income households.

Phil Hope: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire (Mr. Crabb) on 7 May 2008,  Official Report, column 694.

Lung Cancer: Death

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the mortality rate was for lung cancer on Merseyside in the last year for which figures are available.

Tom Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the mortality rate was for lung cancer on Merseyside in the last year for which figures are available. (201618)
	The age-standardised mortality rate(1) for Merseyside metropolitan county(2), where lung cancer was the underlying cause of death(3), was 57 per 100,000 population in 20064 (the latest year available).
	(1) Age-standardised mortality rates per 100,000 population, standardised to the European Standard Population.
	Age-standardised rates are used to allow comparison between populations which may contain different proportions of people of different ages.
	(2) Based on boundaries as of 2008.
	(3) Cause of death for lung cancer was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes C33-C34.
	(4) Figures are for deaths registered 2006.

Manufacturing Industries: Statistics

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment he has made of the effect on the quality of labour market statistical information from  (a) the manufacturing industry and  (b) the furniture industry of the reduction in the sample size for the Monthly Production Inquiry.

Tom Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on the assessment of the effect on the quality of labour market statistical information from (a) the manufacturing industry and (b) the furniture industry of the reduction in sample size of the Monthly Production Inquiry (MPI). (201982)
	The MPI collects turnover and employment information from businesses in Great Britain, which is used mainly for the compilation of National Accounts and Labour Market Statistics.
	Monthly series for employee jobs in the manufacturing sector are published on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website. In March 2008, when ONS published estimates for January 2008, the MPI sample of businesses was reduced by around 10 per cent, as part of a wider ONS efficiency programme and to meet ONS' targets to reduce the burden it places on business. The sample was reallocated across the sample cells (defined by business size-bands and industries) to make the best use of the survey information. This offset the quality impact of reducing the sample size and enabled us to meet our aim of maintaining the quality of estimates at the aggregate level. At the more detailed level, some industries gained in quality at the expense of others.
	Sampling errors are a key measure of survey quality, and were estimated to inform the sample changes and assess the impact on quality. The coefficient of variation is simply the sampling error given as a percentage of the actual estimate, which allows for a relative measure of error for comparative purposes. Please note that estimates of sampling error are themselves subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	(a) The estimate of GB employee jobs in manufacturing in January 2008 was 2,806 thousand. The previous coefficient of variation of 1.2 per cent gave us 95 per cent confidence that the estimate was between 2773 and 2839 thousand. The changes resulted in a small increase in precision, with a coefficient of variation of 1.1 per cent, giving us 95 per cent confidence that the estimate was between 2776 and 2836 thousand.
	(b) The estimate of GB employee jobs series in furniture manufacturing in January 2008 was 102 thousand. The previous coefficient of variation of 5.9 per cent gave us 95 per cent confidence that the estimate was between 96 and 108 thousand. The changes resulted in a small decrease in precision, with a coefficient of variation of 6.9 per cent, giving us 95 per cent confidence that the estimate was between 95 and 109 thousand.

Migration Statistics

Simon Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what additional resources are being made available to the Office for National Statistics to undertake the work-plan it has recommended to improve migration estimates.

Tom Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question on what additional resources are being made available to the Office for National Statistics to undertake the Workplan it has recommended to improve migration estimates. (199298)
	The statistical work programme for the next four year period is being finalised and will be published shortly. ONS will also be making a related announcement that will provide the details of the migration statistics improvement programme.

NHS Statistics

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what information was made available, and when, to Ministers in his Department on the Department of Health's NHS quarterly in-patient and out-patient waiting times statistics' failure against the six criteria of clarity, accuracy, objectivity, professionalism, use of simple language and ease of use; and what representations have been made to his Department by the Office of National Statistics on this matter.

Tom Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what information had been available, and when, to Ministers on the Department of Health's NHS quarterly inpatient and outpatient waiting times statistics' failure against the six criteria of clarity, accuracy, objectivity, professionalism, use of simple language and ease of use; and what representation had been made to his Department by the Office of National Statistics on this matter. (202771)
	Statistical Heads of Profession in the relevant Departments, the Chair of the UK Statistics Authority, and I as his Chief Executive, all received a copy of the Statistics Commission's 39th Report which was published on 13 March 2008 and entitled 'Releasing Official Statistics: A Review of Statistical First Releases'. Heads of Profession in other Departments will have informed their Ministers as appropriate. That report described the Commission's recent review of a sample of statistical releases issued by the Government Statistical Service against six key criteria relating to release practices. Included in the Commission's sample was the Department of Health's NHS quarterly Inpatient and Outpatient Waiting Times release. The Head of Profession for Statistics in the Department of Health wrote to the National Statistician at the time indicating that remedial measures would be taken where appropriate. It is now the case that commentary will be included with all Department of Health statistical releases. Additionally, and once the Authority's statutory Head of Assessment is in place, the Authority will consider when and how it will assess this release against its Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Office for National Statistics: Bird and Bird

Greg Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was spent on  (a) legal and  (b) other advice given to the Office for National Statistics by Bird and Bird Solicitors in each year since 2005.

Tom Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how much was spent on (a) legal and (b) other advice given to the Office for National Statistics by Bird and Bird Solicitors in each year since 2005. (201643)
	The Office for National Statistics has spent nothing on either legal or other advice from Bird and Bird Solicitors since 2005.

Older Workers

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people aged  (a) 50 to 55,  (b) 56 to 60 and  (c) 61 to 65 years (i) are in full-time work, (ii) work for more than 30 hours per week, but not full-time, (iii) work for between 20 and 30 hours per week, (iv) work for between 10 and 20 hours per week and (v) work for fewer than 10 hours per week.

Tom Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about how many people aged  (a) 50 to 55,  (b) 56 to 60 and  (c) 61 to 65 years (i) are in full time work, (ii) work for more than 30 hours per week, but not full time, (iii) work for between 20 and 30 hours per week, (iv) work for between 10 and 20 hours per week and (v) work for fewer than 10 hours per week. (203480)
	The attached table gives estimates of the number of people in full-time and part-time employment for the categories requested for the three month period ending December 2007.
	It should be noted that the estimates provided are weighted to population estimates consistent with those published in 2003. Reweighted analyses using the latest population estimates, published in summer 2007, will be available from 14 May 2008.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  People in full-time and part-time( 1)  employment, by age group, three months ending December 2007, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Thousand 
			   In employment 
			Part-time( 1) 
			  Age group  Full-time( 1)  Part -t ime( 1)  Less than 10 hours per week( 2)  10 to 19 hours per week( 2)  20 to 30 hours per week( 2)  More than 30 hours per week( 2) 
			 50 to 55 2,701 758 63 227 394 75 
			 56 to 60 1,728 714 100 224 343 48 
			 61 to 65 719 510 102 183 199 26 
			 All aged 16 and over 20,850 7,103 1,029 2,506 3,112 456 
			 (1) Based on respondents' self-classification of their main job as either full-time or part-time (2) The weekly hour figures shown relate to the total hours usually worked in an individuals main job. rounded to the nearest hour. The estimates are grossed using population estimates consistent with those published in spring 2003  Source:  ONS Labour Force Survey

Prostate Cancer

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with reference to the answer of 5 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1056W, on prostate cancer, how many diagnoses of prostate cancer there were in  (a) England,  (b) each strategic health authority area and  (c) each primary care trust area in each year since 1997.

Tom Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2008:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many diagnoses of prostate cancer there were in  (a) England,  (b) by each strategic health authority area and  (c) each primary care trust area in each year since 1997.
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of prostate cancer are for the year 2005. Figures for 1997 to 2005 for  (a) England and  (b) each strategic health authority area were given in the answer of 5 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1056W. Figures for  (a) England and  (c) each primary care trust area for the same period are given in the table below.
	
		
			  Table 1: Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of malignant neoplasm of prostate( 1) , males: England, and Primary Care Organisations grouped within Strategic Health Authorities ( 2,3)  1997-2005 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 England 19,878 20,375 22,203 24,256 27,380 27,777 27,672 29,406 28,886 
			 North East SHA  
			 County Durham 180 206 174 202 248 232 263 247 247 
			 Darlington 47 46 66 47 39 69 57 54 47 
			 Gateshead 74 98 114 94 115 126 120 100 148 
			 Hartlepool 34 36 43 40 47 45 60 46 36 
			 Middlesbrough 77 70 77 71 83 48 95 86 103 
			 Newcastle 77 101 116 152 126 181 127 121 91 
			 North Tees 42 63 82 81 87 88 75 72 79 
			 North Tyneside 72 74 92 126 134 122 141 125 106 
			 Northumberland 91 146 157 161 248 196 194 178 229 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 64 52 93 101 84 83 110 94 97 
			 South Tyneside 45 47 57 49 51 73 76 59 64 
			 Sunderland Teaching 84 124 158 119 145 126 157 139 156 
			 North West SHA  
			 Ashton, Leigh and Wigan 54 72 76 109 138 131 134 191 209 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 44 43 62 61 68 57 68 66 59 
			 Blackpool 58 70 69 72 84 112 141 132 90 
			 Bolton 88 94 84 86 164 115 104 167 142 
			 Bury 65 68 77 68 100 126 100 123 136 
			 Central and Eastern Cheshire 128 162 222 256 280 268 281 313 282 
			 Central Lancashire 205 193 193 222 252 226 255 331 379 
			 Cumbria 204 198 189 232 249 281 222 243 299 
			 East Lancashire 164 160 186 231 236 201 226 214 232 
			 Halton and St. Helens 107 118 123 81 123 130 135 173 143 
			 Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale 52 81 78 102 116 97 114 123 130 
			 Knowsley 46 40 45 57 58 78 68 111 74 
			 Liverpool 136 145 168 149 194 185 191 306 221 
			 Manchester 139 124 133 132 174 164 152 180 205 
			 North Lancashire 170 197 174 154 243 206 247 301 263 
			 Oldham 67 84 70 88 107 108 131 185 171 
			 Salford 97 77 72 88 69 73 109 118 126 
			 Sefton 108 101 128 128 151 159 174 267 228 
			 Stockport 141 117 134 155 195 191 177 205 228 
			 Tameside and Glossop 93 108 107 114 114 131 128 159 146 
			 Trafford 113 112 121 128 128 150 136 182 138 
			 Warrington 69 60 48 78 93 70 66 73 61 
			 Western Cheshire 87 76 165 175 175 139 152 158 177 
			 Wirral 131 140 124 154 151 144 131 158 166 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber SHA  
			 Barnsley 75 68 69 79 78 111 105 116 120 
			 Bradford and Airedale 118 132 151 181 211 208 199 221 212 
			 Calderdale 66 76 73 84 101 67 86 111 111 
			 Doncaster 105 100 111 121 138 103 127 133 113 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 144 147 151 167 180 205 222 235 242 
			 Hull 74 102 87 93 112 106 109 145 116 
			 Kirklees 167 142 131 143 151 169 177 197 171 
			 Leeds 277 271 300 318 390 316 384 406 364 
			 North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus 59 54 62 74 108 116 99 75 89 
			 North Lincolnshire 76 61 82 72 67 90 71 77 73 
			 North Yorkshire and York 290 358 349 484 529 525 546 607 575 
			 Rotherham 66 58 47 84 75 90 62 85 79 
			 Sheffield 204 104 182 320 338 289 265 294 277 
			 Wakefield District 136 143 128 151 152 203 186 205 186 
			 East Midlands SHA  
			 Bassetlaw 47 34 35 42 43 52 61 37 60 
			 Derby City 82 65 86 107 116 118 120 120 144 
			 Derbyshire County 241 260 305 343 380 416 381 400 430 
			 Leicester City 65 63 84 103 98 111 89 106 95 
			 Leicestershire County and Rutland 195 183 260 329 331 295 328 412 442 
			 Lincolnshire 283 340 350 359 441 453 511 559 612 
			 Northamptonshire 224 273 286 330 385 405 346 352 432 
			 Nottingham City 98 87 88 88 75 61 44 115 98 
			 Nottinghamshire County 218 214 248 215 236 208 206 305 295 
			 West Midlands SHA  
			 Birmingham East and North 175 145 168 174 257 277 256 289 233 
			 Coventry Teaching 128 135 129 160 171 179 164 193 194 
			 Dudley 93 112 128 121 148 156 198 137 187 
			 Heart of Birmingham Teaching 88 102 87 90 113 124 128 143 112 
			 Herefordshire 81 72 76 104 118 107 101 112 108 
			 North Staffordshire 85 78 79 78 122 86 104 85 104 
			 Sandwell 109 116 166 143 150 1.87 157 126 132 
			 Shropshire County 158 166 158 187 206 219 211 204 218 
			 Solihull 109 123 119 139 154 181 148 188 155 
			 South Birmingham 139 139 158 166 236 221 221 221 220 
			 South Staffordshire 198 206 274 297 297 346 377 434 393 
			 Stoke on Trent 80 73 74 94 102 93 117 91 104 
			 Telford and Wrekin 54 58 62 57 61 72 81 70 66 
			 Walsall Teaching 90 96 97 111 146 173 147 168 193 
			 Warwickshire 193 263 265 327 325 333 286 337 308 
			 Wolverhampton City 90 109 104 141 143 157 156 138 174 
			 Worcestershire 215 254 267 334 327 324 397 441 449 
			 East of England SHA  
			 Bedfordshire 114 136 148 142 191 180 189 192 183 
			 Cambridgeshire 222 183 249 292 328 361 354 351 415 
			 East and North Hertfordshire 192 204 241 277 240 215 241 304 361 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waveney 89 113 137 127 158 152 153 132 109 
			 Luton 45 35 45 56 48 53 45 74 76 
			 Mid Essex 124 147 160 147 191 149 190 145 203 
			 Norfolk 328 350 393 474 500 655 521 581 531 
			 North East Essex 103 120 120 202 221 193 180 140 207 
			 Peterborough 46 60 73 81 81 95 77 78 75 
			 South East Essex 185 161 160 206 230 203 227 211 177 
			 South West Essex 166 135 129 165 205 190 208 197 183 
			 Suffolk 319 280 330 324 368 385 447 419 394 
			 West Essex 113 155 165 198 221 220 201 197 229 
			 West Hertfordshire 201 187 259 247 210 219 161 143 310 
			 London SHA  
			 Barking and Dagenham 74 75 84 74 80 72 63 70 63 
			 Barnet 92 130 150 128 140 150 127 140 134 
			 Bexley 102 111 108 99 102 111 92 102 79 
			 Brent Teaching 91 112 116 112 116 124 124 126 127 
			 Bromley 80 86 104 99 122 149 127 96 87 
			 Camden 79 69 70 50 75 98 71 57 83 
			 City and Hackney Teaching 82 68 68 67 84 87 84 87 74 
			 Croydon 123 105 111 121 148 193 166 170 224 
			 Ealing 104 103 113 96 101 102 132 114 121 
			 Enfield 101 94 106 112 123 127 123 120 112 
			 Greenwich Teaching 82 84 89 107 86 75 75 84 81 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 36 40 41 53 69 33 70 62 75 
			 Haringey Teaching 74 63 65 51 90 72 77 90 98 
			 Harrow 83 79 91 86 78 71 112 92 128 
			 Havering 109 112 122 136 155 167 155 188 141 
			 Hillingdon 99 117 79 87 80 89 107 111 92 
			 Hounslow 53 49 45 62 63 60 69 59 58 
			 Islington 79 64 61 65 74 55 54 75 67 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 56 58 55 73 67 67 65 70 59 
			 Kingston 72 59 73 74 82 87 83 81 68 
			 Lambeth 89 81 85 102 108 116 116 101 109 
			 Lewisham 91 99 88 119 139 134 91 105 75 
			 Newham 78 69 61 73 59 65 73 72 53 
			 Redbridge 102 109 113 104 121 90 108 92 83 
			 Richmond and Twickenham 71 68 70 63 70 104 76 75 66 
			 Southwark 59 63 102 101 95 94 90 85 80 
			 Button and Merton 140 156 146 189 196 168 179 187 148 
			 Tower Hamlets 57 59 66 41 55 57 67 39 41 
			 Waltham Forest 68 82 83 50 62 67 83 49 61 
			 Wandsworth 106 114 109 109 138 155 125 127 112 
			 Westminster 61 83 68 94 96 76 78 86 76 
			 South East Coast SHA  
			 Brighton and Hove City 127 90 130 143 120 106 98 106 98 
			 East Sussex Downs and Weald 234 207 249 231 235 224 184 215 216 
			 Eastern and Coastal Kent 304 310 330 292 344 366 395 405 402 
			 Hastings and Rother 93 94 91 93 82 130 110 98 97 
			 Medway 98 87 81 81 108 122 103 106 126 
			 Surrey 517 488 524 571 573 530 517 478 522 
			 West Kent 294 307 303 323 412 342 402 349 361 
			 West Sussex 413 411 514 554 564 477 453 504 492 
			 South Central SHA  
			 Berkshire East 142 148 154 172 231 207 258 265 221 
			 Berkshire West 195 220 259 240 216 215 272 284 221 
			 Buckinghamshire 210 207 266 287 356 345 324 365 292 
			 Hampshire 502 516 561 668 738 833 725 762 733 
			 Isle of Wight NHS 56 48 69 48 94 91 100 97 104 
			 Milton Keynes 62 82 80 98 127 121 109 119 96 
			 Oxfordshire 169 237 247 344 355 364 339 383 314 
			 Portsmouth City Teaching 46 52 70 67 81 80 87 89 86 
			 Southampton City 99 124 103 110 153 109 127 126 101 
			 South West SHA  
			 Bath and North East Somerset 91 82 87 91 82 142 126 128 124 
			 Bournemouth and Poole 233 216 233 262 272 302 268 310 290 
			 Bristol 140 152 164 137 167 208 210 204 179 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 276 254 312 274 401 383 359 334 356 
			 Devon 434 377 370 430 574 590 635 648 519 
			 Dorset 336 312 308 400 439 503 469 510 423 
			 Gloucestershire 235 250 282 309 354 301 324 373 372 
			 North Somerset 104 112 126 107 140 151 198 179 125 
			 Plymouth Teaching 106 115 94 36 140 110 158 191 143 
			 Somerset 248 258 238 261 350 365 351 381 415 
			 South Gloucestershire 98 83 109 109 108 156 166 149 138 
			 Swindon 54 58 57 70 57 102 71 86 109 
			 Torbay 81 67 71 85 88 78 106 106 121 
			 Wiltshire 193 199 217 255 273 351 387 390 368 
			 (1) Malignant neoplasm of prostate is defined as code C61 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) (2) Based on NHS boundaries as of October 2006. (3) Each primary care organisation (PCO) is listed under the strategic health authority (SHA) to which it reports. The 152 primary care organisations include 148 primary care trusts (PCTs), and 4 care organisations (COs). The PCOs are not all coterminous with SHAs?see Annex C footnotes at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/health_areas.asp Source:  Office for National Statistics

Public Appointments Commissioner: Stratagem

Greg Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what payments the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments made to Stratagem in each of the last five years; and on what date and for what purpose in each case.

Tom Watson: I understand that the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments has made no payments to Strategem in the last five years.

Self-Employed: North East

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many self-employed people worked in the construction industry in  (a) the Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

Tom Watson: The information falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many self-employed people worked in the construction industry in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997. (202455)
	The Office for National Statistics compiles employment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) and its predecessor the annual Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.
	Table 1, attached, shows the number of people aged 16 and over, resident in the Jarrow constituency, South Tyneside, the North East and the UK who were self employed in the construction industry in each year since 1997. Estimates are obtained from the annual LFS for each 12 month period from 1997 to 2004 ending in February. For time series comparisons, the APS estimates from 2005 to 2007 are provided covering the 12 month periods ending in March, but the most recently released estimate is also included, which covers the 12 month period ending in September 2007.
	As these estimates are for a subset of the population in small geographical areas, they are based on small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty.
	In order to produce estimates for small geographical areas, APS and annual LFS estimates are provided based on survey microdata. It should be noted that the estimate provided is weighted to population estimates consistent with those published in 2003. Reweighted analysis using the latest population estimates, published in summer 2007, will be available from 14 May 2008.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of self-employed people in the construction industry in Jarrow, South Tyneside, the North East and the UK 
			  Thousand 
			  12 months ending  Jarrow  South Tyneside  North East  UK 
			 February 1997 (1)— (1)— 15 111 
			 February 1998 (1)— 1 20 681 
			 February 1999 1 1 20 668 
			 February 2000 (1)— 1 16 643 
			 February 2001 (2)— 1 13 653 
			 February 2002 1 1 14 694 
			 February 2003 1 1 18 725 
			 February 2004 (2)— 1 18 787 
			 March 2005 1 1 19 816 
			 March 2006 1 1 23 820 
			 March 2007 (2)— 1 24 842 
			 September 2007 1 1 24 838 
			 (1) Sample size too small to provide estimates (2) Less than 500  Source: Annual Labour Force Survey & Annual Population Survey

Skin Cancer

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people aged  (a) three to nine,  (b) 10 to 19,  (c) 20 to 29,  (d) 30 to 39,  (e) 40 to 49,  (f) 50 to 59 and  (e) 60 years and over have been diagnosed with skin cancer in each of the last five years.

Edward Miliband: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people aged (a) three to nine, (b) 10 to 19, (c) 20 to 29, (d) 30 to 39, (e) 40 to 49, (f) 50 to 59 and (g) 60 years and over have been diagnosed with skin cancer in each of the last five years.
	The most recent available figures for newly diagnosed cases of malignant melanoma of skin registered in England are for the year 2005. Figures for 2001-2005, by age group, are given in the table below.
	
		
			  Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of malignant melanoma of skin( 1) , by sex and age group, England, 2001-05 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			  Males  
			 3-9 0 4 0 0 0 
			 10-19 11 12 10 17 27 
			 20-29 113 106 98 116 118 
			 30-39 270 277 271 306 315 
			 40-49 398 403 397 489 487 
			 50-59 538 577 602 603 725 
			 60 and over 1,455 1,542 1,666 1,776 1,991 
			 Total 3+ 2,785 2,921 3,044 3,307 3,663 
			   
			  Females  
			 3-9 0 3 3 1 2 
			 10-19 28 19 23 38 41 
			 20-29 234 240 186 225 282 
			 30-39 452 450 513 515 537 
			 40-49 588 510 565 644 672 
			 50-59 678 744 749 767 772 
			 60 and over 1,600 1,727 1,791 1,866 2,054 
			 Total 3+ 3,580 3,693 3,830 4,056 4,360 
			   
			  Persons  
			 3-9 0 7 3 1 2 
			 10-19 39 31 33 55 68 
			 20-29 347 346 284 341 400 
			 30-39 722 727 784 821 852 
			 40-49 986 913 962 1,133 1,159 
			 50-59 1,216 1,321 1,351 1,370 1,497 
			 60 and over 3,055 3,269 3,457 3,642 4,045 
			 Total 3+ 6,365 6,614 6,874 7,363 8,023 
			 (1) Malignant melanoma of skin is coded to C43 in the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10)  Source: Office for National Statistics

Unemployment

Chris Grayling: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of households included no-one in full-time employment  (a) in 1997 and  (b) in the latest year for which figures are available, broken down by (i) constituency, (ii) local authority and (iii) region;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of people lived in households with no-one in full-time employment  (a) in 1997 and  (b) in the latest year for which figures are available, broken down by (i) constituency, (ii) local authority and (iii) region.

Tom Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2008:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your two parliamentary questions. The first asks how many and what proportion of households included no-one in full-time employment  (a) in 1997 and  (b) in the latest year for which figures are available, broken down by (i) constituency, (ii) local authority and (iii) region (203278). The second asks how many and what proportion of people lived in households where no-one was in full time employment  (a) in 1997 and  (b) in the latest year for which figures are available, broken down by (i) constituency, (ii) local authority and (iii) region (203279).
	Estimates in the attached tables are provided from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). There is currently no annual household dataset, so the figures are given for the April-June quarter to be consistent with those published in the 'Work and worklessness among households' First Release (see web link
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/work0807.pdf).
	A copy of the tables has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	Data for English and Welsh parliamentary constituencies has been provided for 1999 as data are not available for 1997. Data for Scottish parliamentary constituencies are only available for 2007.
	The household datasets (like the main quarterly LFS microdatasets) are weighted to the population estimates published by ONS in February and March 2003. They do not incorporate the more recent population estimates used in the headline LFS series.
	Figures for households are based on working age households. A working-age household is a household that includes at least one person of working-age, that is a woman aged 16 to 59 or a man aged 16 to 64.
	The LFS is a sample survey covering over 52,000 households in the United Kingdom in each three month period. As with any sample survey, estimates from the Labour Force Survey are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

Unemployment: Enfield

Joan Ryan: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people were unemployed in  (a) the London Borough of Enfield and  (b) the (i) Chase, (ii) Enfield Highway, (iii) Enfield Lock, (iv) Highlands, (v) Southbury, (vi) Town and (vii) Turkey Street wards in the borough in each of the last 10 years.

Tom Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2008
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people were unemployed in (a) the London Borough of Enfield and (b) the following wards in the borough: (i) Chase, (ii) Enfield Highway, (iii) Enfield Lock, (iv) Highlands, (v) Southbury, (vi) Town and (vii) Turkey Street in each of the last 10 years.
	The Office for National Statistics produces estimates of total unemployment for unitary and local authorities, from a statistical model, following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
	Table 1, attached, shows model based estimates of the total number of unemployed, for the Enfield borough. Estimates are obtained for each 12 month period from 1997 to 2004 ending in February. For time series comparisons, the estimates from 2005 to 2007 are provided covering the 12 month periods ending in March, but the most recently released estimate is also included, which covers the 12 months ending in September 2007. Corresponding estimates for local government wards are not available.
	As these estimates are for a subset of the population in a small geographical area, they are based on small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty.
	It should be noted that the estimate provided is weighted to population estimates consistent with those published in 2003. Reweighted analyses using the latest population estimates, published in summer 2007, will be available from 14 May 2008.
	ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA). Table 2, attached, shows the total numbers of people resident in the Enfield borough and the specified wards, claiming JSA. At ward level, data is only available for periods from 2004. In addition, March 2008 data has been included as being the latest data available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of persons unemployed in Enfield borough for the last 10 years. 
			  Thousand 
			  12 months ending  Unemployed 
			 February 1997 12 
			 February 1998 10 
			 February 1999 10 
			 February 2000 9 
			 February 2001 9 
			 February 2002 8 
			 February 2003 9 
			 February 2004 9 
			 March 2005 9 
			 March 2006 12 
			 March 2007 10 
			 September 2007 9 
			  Source: Annual Labour Force Survey and Annual Population Survey. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of persons claiming Job Seekers Allowance . 
			   Enfield Borough  Chase  Enfield Highway  Enfield Lock  Highlands  Southbury  Town  Turkey Street 
			 February 1997 10,260 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 February 1998 7,869 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 February 1999 7,442 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 February 2000 6,898 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 February 2001 5,744 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 February 2002 5,501 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 February 2003 5,905 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 February 2004 6,081 190 378 340 140 310 159 284 
			 March 2005 6,077 208 347 379 137 262 150 298 
			 March 2006 6,732 212 398 362 165 275 155 315 
			 March 2007 6,153 185 355 347 131 290 122 312 
			 March 2008 5,220 194 328 307 130 251 123 276 
			 n/a = data not available  Source: DWP

Voluntary Organisations: Heywood

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  what proportion of contracts awarded to third-sector organisations that provide services in the Heywood and Middleton constituency were three year contracts in the latest period for which information is available;
	(2)  what progress has been made towards ensuring that third-sector organisations providing services in the Heywood and Middleton constituency are awarded three-year contracts.

Phil Hope: This Government are committed to ensuring that three-year funding for third-sector organisations becomes the norm rather than the exception. I will be reporting on Government progress in meeting this funding commitment to HM Treasury on an annual basis. The first report will be made in the autumn 2008 and will be laid before Parliament. It is expected that local authorities will be making reports on three-year funding from 2009 onwards.
	The information requested is currently not recorded centrally.

Voluntary Organisations: Pensions

Joan Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  how many third-sector organisations providing public services have provided  (a) a contracted out, final-salary based defined benefit pension scheme or  (b) a defined contribution scheme with employer contributions of at least 6 per cent. to new starters working on those contracts;
	(2)  how many third-sector organisations providing public services have stakeholder pension schemes for new starters on those contracts;
	(3)  how many third-sector organisations providing public services who have stakeholder pension schemes for new starters on those contracts match employee contributions of more than 6 per cent.

Phil Hope: The information requested is not held centrally. Where public services contracts involve a transfer of staff from a public sector organisation to a private or third-sector service provider (or a subsequent retender of that contract where TUPE applies), the Code of Practice on Workforce Matters in Public Sector Service Contracts may apply. Where the code does apply, it will be for the relevant Government Department to monitor the implementation of the code, including in relation to pensions provision by service providers.

Voluntary Organisations: Standards

Joan Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  what steps the Office of the Third Sector has taken to monitor  (a) the application of and  (b) compliance with the code of practice on workforce matters designed to prevent the development of a two tier workforce in public service contracts outsourced to the third sector;
	(2)  what steps the Office of the Third Sector has taken to assess the effects of the codes of practice on workforce matters designed to prevent the development of a two-tier workforce in public service contracts outsourced to the third sector;
	(3)  whether the Third Sector Action Plan will be used to promote adherence to the Best Value Code of Practice on Workforce Matters and the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Workforce Matters.

Phil Hope: Public-sector organisations oversee the way in which service providers implement the code, where appropriate. If employees or trade unions feel that the code is not being applied correctly, they are invited in the first instance to alert the relevant public sector organisation. They are also supplied with contact details to seek advice in cases in which they consider that the public-sector organisation has failed to meet its responsibilities In addition, it is part of the ongoing work programme of the Public Services Forum to review the implementation of the code. This review will be undertaken in partnership by trade unions, the third and private sectors and Government.
	Given these existing channels for concerns about the code to be raised and acted upon, the Office of the Third Sector has not taken steps to monitor application of, compliance with or the effectiveness of the code on workforce matters. "Partnership in Public Services", the cross-Government public service action plan, includes 18 key actions to reduce the barriers to third-sector involvement in public service delivery, and does not include promotion of the code.

Widowed People

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many widowers alive today had spouses who died before 1972.

Tom Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 May 2008:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many widowers alive today had spouses who died before 1972. (203901).
	The information you requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Cars: Manufacturing Industries

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the amount of pollution generated in the process of manufacturing a standard family car.

Joan Ruddock: DEFRA has not undertaken any work to quantify the pollution associated with car manufacture. However, the King Review gives estimates of the carbon dioxide emitted at all life cycle stages. Similar information on other pollution impacts is published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, and is also covered by the 'Environmental Improvement of Passenger Cars' report recently published by the European Commission.

Domestic Wastes: Contracts

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley of 31 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 491-6W, on Domestic Wastes: Contract, if he will place in the Library copies of the final reports of the research projects with the SIS codes of  (a) WR0103,  (b) WR0104,  (c) WR0106,  (d) WR0107,  (e) WR0112,  (f) WR0217,  (g) WR0506,  (h) WR0512,  (i) WR0705 and  (j) WR0601.

Joan Ruddock: Every research project commissioned by DEFRA is published on our website once it is complete. The following projects are completed and arrangements are in hand to place them in the House Library.
	WR0107 - Modelling Impacts of Lifestyle Changes on Household Waste Arisings.
	WR0112 - Understanding Household Waste Prevention Behaviour.
	WR0512 - Evaluation of the Household Waste Incentives Pilot Scheme.
	WR0601 - Health and Environmental Impacts of Vermin/Insects in the Context of Waste Management Operations.
	The following projects are not yet complete, but will be made available as soon as final reports have been accepted for publication:
	WR0103 - Household Waste Prevention Policy Side Research Programme.
	WR0104 - Lifestyle Scenarios: Futures for Waste Composition.
	WR0106 - Achieving Household Waste Prevention and Promoting Sustainable Resource Use through Product Service Systems.
	WR0506 - Benefits of Third Sector Involvement in Waste Management.
	Although co-funded by DEFRA, the following projects were commissioned by other bodies and reports for these studies can therefore be obtained from them.
	WR0217 - Assessment of Occupational Health and Safety Risks of Waste Collection and Handling Systems (Commissioned by the Health and Safety Executive).
	WR0705 - Updated Lifecycle Study on Reusable and Disposable Nappies (Commissioned by the Environment Agency).

EU Law

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken to implement  (a) EC Regulation 166/2006,  (b) EC Regulation 1882/2002,  (c) Council Directive 96/61/EC,  (d) EU Directive 2003/87/EC and  (e) Commission Directive 2003/35.

Joan Ruddock: The information requested is as follows.
	 (a) Steps taken to implement EC Regulation 166/2006
	The EC regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the establishment of a European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) and amending Council directives 91/689/EEC and 96/61/EC was agreed on 18 January 2006 and came into force on 24 February 2006. PRTRs are publicly accessible compilations of data that describe the releases of substances to the environment and waste transfers. The E-PRTR regulation is a directly binding piece of European legislation and does therefore not need to be transposed into domestic law. In August 2007 DEFRA published a consultation document concerning among other issues proposals on designating competent authorities, enforcement, reporting requirements and quality assessment of the collected emissions data. We have recently published the Summary of Responses received during the consultation period.
	 (b) Steps taken to implement EC Regulation 1882/2002
	This regulation is published and updated daily and contains, for information, the Standard Import Values for determining the entry prices, on import into the EU, for certain fruit and vegetables. These values are used for customs tariff purposes by HM Revenue and Customs and importers. The regulation does not require implementation.
	 (c) and (e) Steps taken to implement Council Directive 96/61/EC and Commission Directive 2003/35
	The Council directive 96/61/EC on integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC) was agreed on 24 September 1996 and came into force on 30 October 1996. The IPPC directive provided a transitional period from 30 October 1999 to 30 October 2007 during which existing installations could be brought under the requirements of the directive. New installations had to comply from the outset.
	In England and Wales the IPPC directive was transposed through the Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales) Regulations 2000. The PPC regulations were introduced under the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999.
	The parts of the Public Participation directive 2003/35/EC which amended the IPPC directive and came into force on 25 June 2003 were transposed in England and Wales on that date through the PPC regulations. This directive provides an increase in the already high level of public participation in the process by which regulators consider applications for environmental permits to operate new or substantially changed industrial installations subject to the IPPC directive.
	From 6 April 2008 the PPC regulations have been superseded by the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007.
	The IPPC directive and its subsequent amendments have since been codified and repealed by directive 2008/1/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 January 2008 concerning integrated pollution prevention and control (codified version).
	 (d) Steps taken to implement EU Directive 2003/87/EC:
	The EU emissions trading directive 2003/87/EC was agreed on 22 July 2003 and came into force on 25 October 2003. The directive has been transposed into UK legislation through the greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme regulations.
	On 24 May 2005 the UK published the approved National Allocation Plan (NAP) and installation-level allocations for Phase I of the EU ETS, which ran from 2005 to 2007. The approved NAP and final allocation decision for phase ii of the scheme, running from 2008 to 2012, were published on 16 March 2007.
	On 23 January 2008, the European Commission published its draft proposals for the review of the EU ETS required under article 30 of the EU directive on the EU ETS. The role of the review is to develop the EU ETS in a positive way post-2012 and learn from experiences so far. The UK welcomed the European Commission's ambitious proposals for tackling climate change and delivering a low-carbon economy in Europe. The UK will now be entering into negotiations with other member states and the Commission and will also be releasing a formal consultation soon. Once agreed by the European Council and European Parliament, the changes will need to be transposed into UK law.

Fly-Tipping: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many incidents of fly-tipping there were in the London Borough of Bexley in each of the last five years; and how many people were prosecuted in each such year for such offences.

Joan Ruddock: Data are only available from 2004 onwards.
	I have arranged for a table to be placed in the Library of the House showing the number of fly-tipping incidents and prosecutions recorded in each local authority by local authorities on Flycapture for 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07.
	Following the release of the 2006-07 Flycapture statistics on 9 October 2007, this information has been sent to all MPs. It is also available to download electronically on DEFRA'S Flycapture website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/localenv/flytipping/flycapture-data.htm

Food: Waste Disposal

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of the effects of kerbside food waste collections on levels of household composting.

Joan Ruddock: Separate collections of food waste are relatively novel in the UK. In the 19 trials being conducted by the Waste and Resources Action Programme, early indications are that public participation in collections is of the order of 60-80 per cent. Of the food waste being put out for disposal around 70 per cent. is being captured by the food waste collection. The remainder is being disposed of in the residual bin. This excludes any food waste that may be home-composted. Many of the trials are being conducted in urban areas where the uptake of home composting is low as properties have either very small or no gardens. However, a customer survey in some of the trial areas indicated that between 58 per cent. and 74 per cent. of respondents considered that the availability of a food waste collection had not changed what they put in their home composting bin.
	WRAP proposes to continue to monitor the food waste collection trials, and will be reporting on its findings in due course.
	Some local authorities are trialling the collection of food waste with garden waste collections. The partial evidence available so far suggests that these arrangements are not generally successful in capturing food waste from the residual waste stream, Furthermore, separate research carried out by WRAP in 2007 indicates that the existence of kerbside garden/organic collections has limited impact on levels of home composting by home composting households. The main reasons given are:
	1. They consider home composting to be more environmentally friendly and divert as much via that route as they can, using collection services only for items that they decide are unsuitable for home composting (pernicious weeds, large and woody items etc.)
	2. As they are keen gardeners they want to make as much compost as possible, and will use the collection service only for items that don't readily compost
	3. At certain times of the year their gardens produce an excess of certain waste materials and they will consider using the kerbside service to get rid of this excess material.
	The inference is that food waste collected with garden waste has little overall impact on the amount of material which is home-composted.

Nature Conservation: EU Law

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what shadow price per hectare of salt marsh he has used for the purpose of implementation of Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora.

Joan Ruddock: A key mechanism for delivery of this Directive is the flagship agri-environment scheme, environmental stewardship. Shadow prices are not used to determine payment rates for this scheme as they are derived from the income forgone by the landowner in carrying out the prescribed management. The payments for salt marsh options available under the environmental stewardship higher level scheme, were, in common with all the other options, calculated in 2004. There are a number of options available ranging from the maintenance of coastal saltmarsh (30/ha) to the creation of inter-tidal/saline habitat on arable land (at 700/ha).

Regeneration: Castle Point

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what funding allocated by his Department for the Castle Point Regeneration Partnership is planned to be spent.

Joan Ruddock: The Castle Point Regeneration Partnership includes various bodies such as the Department for Communities and Local Government, the East of England Development Agency, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Essex county council and Castle Point borough council which contribute funding to the project. Neither DEFRA nor Natural England has set aside funds for the Castle Point Regeneration Partnership.

Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department has powers to sanction local authorities that do not offer waste disposal free of charge to schools and prisons.

Joan Ruddock: The duty on a local authority to collect household waste is contained in section 45(1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Waste from schools and prisons is classified by schedule 2 of the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992 (CWR) as household waste. Local authorities have no powers to charge for the disposal of household waste.
	There are no powers in the EPA for DEFRA or the Secretary of State to sanction any authorities that charge for the disposal of household waste.

Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 April 2008,  Official Report, column 1373W, on Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges, if he will place in the Library a copy of the August letter to local authorities on section 46 powers.

Joan Ruddock: I have arranged for the information requested to be placed in the Library of the House.

Waste Management: Prisons

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations his Department has received from local authorities on Schedule 2 waste obligations to collect rubbish from prisons without imposing a charge.

Joan Ruddock: Since January 2008 DEFRA has received four letters from local authorities and one from the Local Government Association (LGA) asking the Government to consider the right of Schedule 2 waste producers to free waste disposal.
	The letter from the LGA and my reply to it have both been published on the LGA's website.

Waste Management: Private Finance Initiative

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the inclusion of  (a) incineration and  (b) recycling facilities in projects undertaken as part of his Department's waste private finance initiative funding scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: Local authorities are best placed and responsible for deciding the most appropriate waste management facilities for their areas. Recovering energy from waste is a sustainable option for residual waste that would otherwise go to landfill. It is important that plans for energy from waste facilities emerge out of local waste strategies, so that all options for reuse, recycling and composting can be explored first.
	The Government wish to encourage local authorities to consider using anaerobic digestion. Other than this, we do not generally think it appropriate to express a preference for one technology over another. Any given technology is (where applicable) more beneficial if both heat and electricity can be recovered. Particular attention should therefore be given to the siting of plant to maximise opportunities for Combined Heat and Power.
	The current Waste Private Finance Initiative (PFI) criteria were issued in May 2006. Projects must meet these criteria in order to be considered for PFI credits. The criteria aim to ensure that PFI credits are allotted to projects that are value for money and enable the investment in residual waste infrastructure necessary if the demanding targets in the Landfill Directive and Waste Strategy for England 2007 are to be met.
	The following criteria are included:
	2. PFI credits are awarded to authorities primarily to deliver increased diversion of biodegradable municipal waste from landfill. Proposals should demonstrate how the schemes:
	contribute to or complement longer-term national targets for recycling and composting as well as diversion of biodegradable and other municipal waste from landfill, indicating the amount of biodegradable and other municipal waste expected to be diverted from landfill over the whole life of the project;
	support or complement the authorities' plans for recycling set out in their Municipal Waste Management Strategies.
	5. The use of residual waste treatment options involving recovery, including energy from waste solutions, will have an integral role in treating the waste we cannot 'design out', re-use or recycle. Such options should be considered while also demonstrating that there is no future barrier to meeting reduction, reuse and recycling targets.
	6. Proposals should demonstrate that other relevant authorities, the public, and interested parties have been consulted and that there is a broad consensus supporting a recognised long term waste management strategy which is reflected in the proposed solution.
	10. Preferential consideration will be given to capital projects which focus on residual treatment plant only, including, but not limited to, Energy from Waste, Mechanical Biological Treatments and Anaerobic Digestion. The full criteria are available on the DEFRA website.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Anguilla: Politics and Government

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on negotiations on the constitutional future of Anguilla.

Kim Howells: At the beginning of 2006, the Governor of Anguilla appointed a Constitutional and Electoral Reform Commission to take forward Anguilla's constitutional review process. The commission reported in August 2006. Following this, a first round of constitutional talks between Anguilla and the UK, scheduled for July 2007, was postponed at the request of the Government of Anguilla to allow for greater public consultation and for the people of Anguilla to be better informed about the constitutional options. The most recent public forum was held in April 2008. The Government are awaiting the outcome of these consultations, and are available to open constitutional talks when the Government of Anguilla are ready.

Belarus: Surveillance

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the  (a) sale of covert surveillance technology by UK companies to the Belarusian security service and  (b) use of such equipment by the Belarusian security service.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 7 May 2008
	The Government are aware of reports of meetings between UK surveillance technology companies and the authorities of Belarus. The Government are not involved in these meetings and therefore have no information about their content.
	All export licence applications for military and dual use goods, including surveillance equipment, are closely examined and assessed on a case-by-case basis against Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria.
	Where licensable surveillance equipment is concerned, particular attention is given to Criterion 2 of the Consolidated Criteria - "The respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country of final destination". The Government will not issue an export licence for any military or dual use goods where there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression.

Cameroon: Politics and Government

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of the recent change to the constitution of the Republic of Cameroon altering the limits of presidential terms for the political situation in that country.

Kim Howells: holding answer 7 May 2008
	The amendment to the Cameroonian constitution to remove presidential term limits was passed in the Cameroonian National Assembly on 10 April. The constitution now places no restrictions on the number of terms for which a president, including the incumbent, may serve. It also accords some immunities to presidents for acts committed during their tenure and allows a longer period for the organisation of elections in the case of a presidential vacancy.
	As noted in my answer of 23 April 2008,  Official Report, column 2121W, the Government supported an EU public statement concerning the amendment of the constitution of Cameroon on 27 March. We will continue to work with EU partners. In addition, our high commission in Yaounde has raised the constitutional amendment bilaterally with a number of Cameroonian Ministers and stressed the need for urgent action to deal with the democratic deficits and other reforms that need to be addressed.

China: Falun Gong

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of China on the Falun Gong.

Kim Howells: We remain concerned by reports of the mistreatment of Falun Gong adherents in various provinces of China, particularly those detained in Re-education Through Labour (RTL) camps. We raise our concerns, over individual practitioners and for the need to reform RTL, with the Chinese Government at every appropriate opportunity. We did this most recently at the 16th round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in Beijing on 28 to 31 January.

Commonwealth: Scholarships

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 24 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 2189-90W, on the Chevening scholarships programme, how many Commonwealth scholarships were awarded in each of the last five years.

David Miliband: The following number of Foreign and Commonwealth Office-funded Commonwealth scholarships was awarded in each of the last five years:
	
		
			  Country  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  Total 
			 Australia 21 24 19 13 11 88 
			 Bahamas 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			 Brunei Darussalam 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Canada 27 26 25 27 25 130 
			 Cyprus 0 1 0 0 1 2 
			 Malta 1 2 1 2 2 8 
			 New Zealand 7 9 5 11 6 38 
			 Singapore 2 0 1 2 1 6 
			 Total 59 62 51 56 46 274

Departmental Domestic Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions he has visited  (a) Scotland,  (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland in an official capacity in the last 12 months.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not, as yet, visited the devolved Administrations in his official capacity.

East Africa: Peace Negotiations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will assess the merits of convening a regional conference on East Africa and related countries to include Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda and Kenya to discuss common objectives towards peace in that region; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Government will continue to work closely with countries in East Africa on regional as well as other issues. We have no plans to convene a conference of all these countries to discuss peace across the whole region. These countries, along with Djibouti, are the constituent members of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). IGAD was created in 1996 as an intergovernmental body for development in the East and Horn of Africa. The African Union has also identified IGAD as one of Africa's sub-regional intergovernmental organisations that can help contribute to peace and security in Africa. The Government actively support IGAD's work to promote peace and stability across the region.

Egypt: Torture

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Egypt on the use of torture.

Kim Howells: The Government are concerned about the use of torture by Egyptian authorities and the wider human rights situation in Egypt. I raised human rights issues directly with the visiting Speaker of the Egyptian Parliament on 21 January 2008.
	In addition, on 11 March, officials from our embassy in Cairo met the Egyptian Deputy Minister for Human Rights to express our concerns over Egyptian conduct across a range of human rights areas.
	We also look forward to having an active discussion with Egypt on these issues at the forthcoming EU-Egypt political sub-committee, established under the European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan.

Gaza: Fuels

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Israel on fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friends the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for International Development issued a joint statement on 25 April 2008 expressing concern that fuel shortages in Gaza meant that the UN Relief and Works Agency was unable to continue much of its relief work. This left hundreds of thousands of people in need of food, water and medical supplies. A steady supply of fuel is essential for the provision of these basic services. We have urged the Government of Israel to ensure that, in line with their own public commitments, their actions do not result in humanitarian crisis in Gaza. This message was reiterated in a series of high-level meetings held in London on 2 May, involving Palestinian Prime Minister Fayyad and Israeli Foreign Minister Livni.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on whether British personnel taken hostage in Iraq have passed into the custody of Iran's Revolutionary Guard; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We have received no substantive evidence of Iranian involvement in the case of the British nationals taken hostage in Iraq, although we have seen speculative media reports. It is our policy not to discuss the operational details of the Government's response or analysis when we judge that doing so would not be in the interests of the hostages.

Pakistan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Pakistan Government on the Riaz Marsh and Muhammed Shafiq case in the Lahore Court.

Kim Howells: We have made no representations to the Lahore Court on behalf of Mr. Muhammed Shafiq, who is no longer detained in Faisalbad jail.
	We have also made no representations to the Lahore Court on behalf of Mr. Riaz Maish, who is unknown to Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials.

Russia: Human Rights

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Russia on the observance of civil liberties and human rights.

Jim Murphy: Sir Peter Ricketts, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Permanent Under-Secretary, raised rule of law issues with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Titov during his visit to Moscow on 22 to 24 April.
	The UK holds annual bilateral human rights discussions with Russia. These were last held in January 2007, and the next meeting is planned for later this year. We also raise our concerns through the EU/Russia human rights consultations, which were last held on 17 April.

Russia: Human Rights

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of the observance of human rights and levels of political freedom in Russia.

Jim Murphy: We have a mature and frank relationship with Russia and do not shy away from making our concerns known on human rights and democracy. We want to see democracy in Russia deliver political pluralism and all its associated freedoms. We believe that an open and democratic Russia will consolidate Russia as a stable and reliable international partner for the global community.
	During the parliamentary election in December 2006 and the presidential elections in March 2007, the UK, along with the EU and international observers, raised concerns about the degree of democracy exhibited throughout the election periods. Of particular concern were the unacceptable conditions Russia placed on international observers, limits to restrict the field of candidates and the lack of equal media access for opposition candidates.
	According to recent reports by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, both the non-governmental organisation law and the law on extremist behaviour have been used to target and restrict certain individuals and non-governmental organisations. Media freedom and the situation facing human rights defenders are recurrent themes during both the bilateral and EU/Russia human rights dialogues. As a result, we welcome President Medvedev's focus on the need to strengthen the rule of law in Russia.

Sudan: Census

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the progress of Sudan's fifth census which began on 22 April; and what help he is offering to ensure its successful completion.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friends the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for International Development discussed progress on the census in their meeting on 28 April with Sudanese Foreign Minister Deng Alor. Officials from both the Government of National Unity and the Government of South Sudan have reported that the census is going well, although there have been some logistical difficulties and some communities have not co-operated with enumerators. Movements in Darfur have spoken out against the census, although initial reports suggest that enumeration has taken place in many areas of Darfur. At the UK's suggestion, language in support of the census and all parties' acceptance of the results was included in UN Security Council Resolution 1812 of 30 April for renewal of the UN Mission in Sudan mandate.

Tibet: Human Rights

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Government of China to provide access for human rights organisations to monitor the human rights situation in Tibet.

Kim Howells: We believe that the Chinese Government should lift restrictions on access to the region which would aid an independent assessment of the situation. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister raised the issue of access to Tibet in his telephone call to Chinese Premier Wen on 19 March. We continue to encourage China to issue an open invitation to all UN Special Rapporteurs to visit China, including the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief.

Treaty of Lisbon

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with EU institutions on the process of ratification of the Lisbon treaty, including in member states where the ratification process is by referendum; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has regular contact with EU institutions on a variety of issues, including the Lisbon treaty. It is up to all 27 member states to ratify the Lisbon treaty in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements.
	So far, 13 countries have ratified the Lisbon treaty.
	Only one member state (the Republic of Ireland) out of 27 member states is planning to hold a referendum. This will take place on 12 June 2008.

Treaty of Lisbon

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Irish Government on the process of ratification of the Lisbon treaty; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I have regular contact with our Irish counterparts on the full range of European issues, including the Lisbon treaty.

USA: Navy

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of the US naval presence in the Mediterranean sea on the surrounding regions.

Jim Murphy: The US naval presence in the Mediterranean has long had a positive and welcome stabilising effect in the region, due in part to the extent to which it has worked together closely with other allies and partners, including the UK.

HEALTH

Abortion

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  on what grounds each abortion took place in non-NHS hospitals or institutions at  (a) 16 weeks,  (b) 17 weeks,  (c) 18 weeks,  (d) 19 weeks,  (e) 20 weeks,  (f) 21 weeks,  (g) 22 weeks,  (h) 23 weeks and  (i) 24 weeks gestation in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what grounds each abortion took place in NHS hospitals at  (a) 16 weeks,  (b) 17 weeks,  (c) 18 weeks,  (d) 19 weeks,  (e) 20 weeks,  (f) 21 weeks,  (g) 22 weeks,  (h) 23 weeks and  (i) 24 weeks gestation in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The information in the following table shows the grounds for abortions (at 16-24 weeks gestation) that were funded by the national health service and took place on NHS premises; funded by the NHS and took place in the private sector under contract 'NHS Agency'); and were not funded by the NHS.
	
		
			  Abortions by gestation 16-24 weeks, grounds and purchaser, residents of England and Wales, 1997-2006 
			16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23( 1)  24 
			  2006   
			 NHS hospital Section 1(1)(a) and other grounds except Section 1(1)(d) 459 295 (2)276 (3)175 (4)182 (5)212 (6)152 (7)128 0 
			  Section 1(1)(d) 110 114 (2)— (3)— (4)— (5)— (6)— (7)— 34 
			 NHS Agency Section 1(1)(a) and other 1,264 1,160 953 837 660 490 383 328 0 
			 Private Section 1(1)(a) and other 169 138 128 99 90 52 81 54 0 
			 All purchasers Section 1(1)(a) and other except Section 1(1)(d) — — 1,242 1,021 787 573 485 398 0 
			  Section 1(1)(d) — — 115 90 145 181 131 112 34 
			 Total  2,002 1,707 1,357 1,111 932 754 616 510 34 
			 '—' Suppressed value where a presented value, if used with previously published data, would reveal a total less than 10 (between 0 and 9). (1) Includes 24 weeks and 0 days.  Note: Previously published data for 'All purchasers' for 2006 for gestations of 18-24 weeks is included within this table for reference. The previous publication of these data means that NHS Hospital abortion figures cannot be shown by grounds for 18-23 weeks. 
		
	
	
		
			16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23( 1)  24 
			  2005   
			 NHS hospital Section 1(1)(a) and other grounds except Section 1(1)(d) 436 264 118 62 37 28 28 13 0 
			  Section 1(1)(d) 99 121 84 85 149 183 140 102 38 
			 NHS Agency Section 1(1)(a) and other 1,250 1,069 883 812 644 417 300 175 0 
			 Private Section 1(1)(a) and other 187 185 136 106 95 72 71 46 0 
			 Total  1,972 1,639 1,221 1,065 925 700 539 336 38 
			
			  2004   
			 NHS hospital Section 1(1)(a) and other grounds except Section 1(1)(d) 502 278 132 72 42 25 25 11 0 
			  Section 1(1)(d) 101 108 106 103 161 163 116 100 41 
			 NHS Agency Section 1(1)(a) and other 1,251 1,383 1,046 759 542 514 519 300 0 
			 Private Section 1(1)(a) and other 262 229 211 91 69 76 75 52 0 
			 Total  2,116 1,998 1,495 1,025 814 778 735 463 41 
			
			  2003   
			 NHS hospital Section 1(1)(a) and other grounds except Section 1(1)(d) 477 325 176 93 36 19 18 17 0 
			  Section 1(1)(d) 98 119 109 125 147 149 119 107 41 
			 NHS Agency Section 1(1)(a) and other 1,235 1,428 1,186 678 522 531 472 325 0 
			 Private Section 1(1)(a) and other 259 268 234 108 78 80 90 81 0 
			 Total  2,069 2,140 1,705 1,004 783 779 699 530 41 
			
			  2002   
			 NHS hospital Section 1(1)(a) and other grounds except Section 1(1)(d) 569 297 186 110 68 23 (8,12)144 (9,12)98 0 
			  Section 1(1)(d) 103 93 115 97 148 161 (8)(,12)— (9)(,12)— 33 
			 NHS Agency Section 1(1)(a) and other 1,178 1,238 886 578 497 438 446 341 0 
			 Private Section 1(1)(a) and other 289 308 234 121 69 108 121 94 0 
			 Total  2,139 1,936 1,421 906 782 730 711 533 33 
			
			  2001   
			 NHS Hospital Section 1(1)(a) and other grounds except Section 1(1)(d) 530 292 148 98 52 17 (10,12)95 (11,12)78 0 
			  Section 1(1)(d) 72 112 103 103 164 143 (10)(,12)— (11)(,12)— 24 
			 NHS Agency Section 1(1)(a) and other 1,035 1,096 814 502 391 440 454 308 0 
			 Private Section 1(1)(a) and other 325 319 253 154 133 123 149 125 0 
			 Total  1,962 1,819 1,318 857 740 723 698 511 24 
			
			  2000   
			 NHS Hospital Section 1(1)(a) and other grounds except Section 1(1 )(d) 612 303 193 87 43 21 17 12 0 
			  Section 1(1)(d) 78 105 128 145 194 146 116 90 22 
			 NHS Agency Section 1(1)(a) and other 1,021 898 727 417 338 329 337 248 0 
			 Private Section 1(1)(a) and other 392 345 285 207 135 146 158 125 0 
			 Total  2,103 1,651 1,333 856 710 642 628 475 22 
			
			  1999   
			 NHS hospital Section 1(1)(a) and other grounds except Section 1(1)(d) 607 271 187 103 48 39 16 14 0 
			  Section 1(1)(d) 90 93 118 178 204 122 101 86 25 
			 NHS Agency Section 1(1)(a) and other 850 822 662 396 310 278 286 239 0 
			 Private Section 1(1)(a) and other 410 383 318 210 160 152 181 140 0 
			 Total  1,957 1,569 1,285 887 722 591 584 479 25 
			  1998   
			 NHS hospital Section 1(1)(a) and other grounds except Section 1(1)(d) 600 270 197 77 60 22 20 13 0 
			  Section 1(1)(d) 77 89 151 176 206 124 101 72 11 
			 NHS Agency Section 1(1)(a) and other 880 887 643 375 288 284 237 195 0 
			 Private Section 1(1)(a) and other 434 424 337 204 141 159 161 151 0 
			 Total  1,991 1,670 1,328 832 695 589 519 431 11 
			
			  1997   
			 NHS hospital Section 1(1)(a) and other grounds except Section 1(1)(d) 554 286 179 75 38 26 13 10 0 
			  Section 1(1)(d) 86 111 129 184 211 144 103 61 24 
			 NHS Agency Section 1(1)(a) and other 781 757 575 320 183 227 210 160 0 
			 Private Section 1(1)(a) and other 496 456 303 258 146 156 187 144 0 
			 Total  1,917 1,610 1,186 837 578 553 513 375 24 
			 (1) Includes 24 weeks and 0 days. (12) Section 1(1)(a) and other grounds is grouped with Section 1(1)(d) for gestations 22 and 23 weeks due to small numbers (between 0 and 9).  Notes: 1. Where Section 1(1)(a) is grouped with other grounds all totals for other grounds are less than 10. 2. Section 1(1)(a): that the pregnancy has not exceeded its twenty-fourth week and that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman. 3. Section 1(1)(d): that there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped.

Care Homes: Fees and Charges

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people receiving domiciliary care were  (a) funded by the local authority,  (b) privately funded and  (c) paying an additional amount to meet the full cost of their fees in each year since 1996;
	(2)  how many people receiving residential care were  (a) funded by the local authority,  (b) privately funded and  (c) relied on a relative or other third party to pay an additional amount to meet the full cost of their fees in each year since 1996;
	(3)  how many older people received  (a) residential and  (b) domiciliary care in each year since 1996.

Ivan Lewis: We are informed by the Information Centre for health and social care that information is not held centrally on the numbers of people receiving domiciliary care or residential care that is privately funded or involves the payment of an additional sum in order to meet the full cost.
	The available information is shown in the following table. It shows the number of people who received domiciliary care or residential care, funded wholly or in part by councils with adult social services responsibilities as at 31 March of each year in total and for those aged 65 years or more. Information on domiciliary care services is only available from 2001. It is not possible to separate the figures into the numbers of people who received full or partial funding from the local authority for either domiciliary or residential care.
	
		
			  Number of people receiving care funded wholly or in part by councils with adult social services responsibilities at 31 March, England 
			  Thousand 
			   Domiciliary Care( 1)  Residential Care( 1,4) 
			   All ages( 2)  65 and over  All ages( 2)  65 and over 
			 1996 — — (5)210 (5)169 
			 1997 — — (5)236 (5)190 
			 1998 — — 256 204 
			 1999 — — 261 206 
			 2000 — — 265 209 
			 2001 (3)927 635 262 205 
			 2002 948 649 265 207 
			 2003 975 661 284 219 
			 2004 994 662 278 214 
			 2005 981 642 266 205 
			 2006 1,009 652 259 200 
			 2007 1,023 647 250 192 
			 (1) Data from 2003 onwards include clients formerly in receipt of preserved rights. (2 )Aged 18 and over. (3) The 'all ages' totals for domiciliary care in 2001 include the number of clients whose age was not known. (4) Data from 2004 onwards include Boyd loophole residents. (5) Data from 1996 and 1997 exclude supported residents in un-staffed or other non-registered accommodation.  Source: Referral Assessments and Packages of care form P2s and SRI form Table 1

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that recommendations on research into myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome, such as those outlined in the guidelines recently issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, are met, with particular regard to  (a) the cause of the illness,  (b) the effectiveness of current intervention strategies and  (c) identification of efficient ways to deliver domiciliary care for those who are severely affected.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Burstow) on 29 April 2008,  Official Report, column 252W.

Codex Alimentarius

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what status the Codex Alimentarius has in the regulatory regime for medicines; and what assessment the Government have made of the effects of full introduction of the Codex on the regulation of natural, herbal and homeopathic medicines.

Dawn Primarolo: The Codex Alimentarius Commission was created in 1963 by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to develop food standards, guidelines and related texts such as codes of practice under the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme. The Codex Alimentarius standards are used as a reference point for consumers, food producers and processors, national food control agencies and the international food trade.
	The Codex Alimentarius is not part of the regulatory framework for medicinal products and has not therefore been taken into consideration when regulating natural, herbal and homeopathic medicinal products. However, certain excipients in medicines, such as colourings, are covered by food standards which are taken into account by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency before allowing their use in medicinal products in the United Kingdom.

Construction

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many construction projects his Department undertook in each of the last three years for which the capital cost was greater than £1.5 million; and what the combined value was of these projects;
	(2)  how many construction projects his Department undertook in each of the last three years for which the capital cost was less than £1.5 million; and what the combined value of these projects was.

Ben Bradshaw: The construction of most new health facilities by national health service bodies is undertaken by means of three particular procurement methods. These are the private finance initiative (PFI) for hospital facilities, ProCure 21 to deliver public capital funded hospital facilities and local improvement finance trust developments in respect of primary care facilities that are commissioned by primary care trusts (PCTs).
	Information on the number and capital value of projects and the date that construction began for these three programmes is held centrally and is given in aggregated form in the table.
	Details are not held centrally on construction projects undertaken by the NHS by means other than the three procurement methods identified. These are predominantly the smaller public capital funded schemes commissioned locally by NHS trusts and PCTs and which are below departmental delegated approval limits.
	
		
			   Construction projects above £1.5 million  Construction projects below £1.5 million 
			   Number  Value (£ million)  Number  Value (£ million) 
			 2005-06 83 1,850 12 17 
			 2006-07 44 2,488 3 4 
			 2007-08 63 2,754 5 6

Doctors: Working Hours

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in  (a) negotiating the retention of the European Working Time Directive individual opt-out and  (b) addressing the other issues raised by the SiMAP/Jaeger judgments.

Ann Keen: The European Working Time is a key dossier for the United Kingdom Government. The Government remain committed to the retention of the individual opt-out and a solution to the issues from the SiMAP/Jaeger judgments.
	We are disappointed not to have reached an agreement in the European Union on this dossier but are hopeful that one can be found soon.

Doctors: Working Hours

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of the implementation of the European Working Time Directive on  (a) medical training and  (b) training for surgeons; and what research his Department has considered as part of its policy formulation in this area.

Ann Keen: The Government have commissioned Sheffield University to undertake independent research on the impact of the European Working Time Directive on medical training, including a joint project with the Royal College of Surgeons to identify practical solutions for surgical training.

Doctors: Working Hours

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether negotiations are under way on an extension of the timetable for the implementation of the European Working Time Directive as it relates to NHS doctors beyond 2012.

Ann Keen: No. National health service services are planning to implement the European Working Time Directive by August 2009.

Health Services: Contracts

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he issues to primary care trusts on procedures to be followed when letting alternative provider medical service (APMS) contracts, with particular reference to  (a) tendering processes,  (b) timescales,  (c) criteria used to select the successful bidder,  (d) per patient cost estimates and  (e) bid scoring; what reports he has received of the tendering process conducted by Camden Primary Care Trust to run the Camden Road, Kings Cross and Brunswick Centre general practitioner practices; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: In December 2007 the Department published the PCT Procurement Framework—Equitable Access to Primary Medical Care—Local Procurement of GP Practices and Health Centres, to support primary care trusts (PCTs) in procuring the new general practitioner (GP) practices and health centre services. This framework is based on existing guidance from the Office of Government Commerce and contains a set of procurement tools and template documentation, including a number of suggested evaluation criteria. The precise mix of these criteria and their associated weightings will be determined locally by primary care trusts based on local circumstances. Copies of the framework and evaluation plan have been placed in the Library.
	Additionally, the Department wrote to strategic health authority chief executives in December to confirm the core criteria and proposed time scales that will underpin the development of new GP practices and health centres. A copy of the letter has been placed in the Library.
	The Department has not received any reports on the procurement conducted by Camden Primary Care Trust for three new GP practices. This was a locally managed process outwith the current procurements of new practices and health centres.

Health Services: Greater London

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reports he has received on the outcomes of London Strategic Health Authority's review of the property assets held by London's healthcare trusts.

Ben Bradshaw: No formal review of the London Strategic Health Authority's (SHA) property assets has been commissioned. However, the SHA does regularly monitor the NHS's usage of its estate, and whether this is delivering best value for money.

NHS: Drugs

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the savings to the NHS that could be achieved by extending the prescription of generic drugs.

Dawn Primarolo: Using the quarterly potential generic savings report produced by the prescription pricing division of the NHS Business Services Authority, it is possible to determine that for the latest period available, October 2007 to December 2007, the potential savings, in England, that may be achieved by prescribing generically rather than by brand is £8.6 million.

NHS: Drugs

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has made an estimate of the extra costs incurred by the NHS in treating patients whose conditions have worsened as a result of them not being able to afford their prescribed medication.

Dawn Primarolo: We have made no such estimate.
	We agree it is vitally important that people get the medicines they need. There are already extensive arrangements in place for exemption from prescription charges, particularly for those on a low income. People who do pay for their prescriptions can manage the cost by purchasing a prescription prepayment certificate, which allows them to get all the prescription items they need for £27.85 for three months and £102.50 for a year.

NHS: Information and Communications Technology

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has had negotiations with Fujitsu on that company  (a) exiting and  (b) changing their contracts with Connecting for Health; and what minimum number of suppliers to the central Connecting for Health contracts is allowed under the terms of the NHS IT programme.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department continues to negotiate constructively with Fujitsu on the company's proposals to reset its supplier contract under the national programme for information technology. Reset is a normal, repeatable, process, for contracts with a long lifetime to ensure that their ongoing delivery reflects progress to date, current priorities, and deployment plans for the future, and that they continue to support the evolving needs of the national health service. Reset also allows for the option of agreeing enhancements to existing services or functionality that does not effect a change in contract scope or risk allocation.
	The original procurement strategy for the national programme was to avoid reliance on a single supplier to deliver the programme, and recognised that some suppliers might fail and need to be replaced, but without reference to a maximum or minimum number of suppliers.

Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills on the impact of the renegotiation of the pharmaceutical price regulation scheme on research, development and innovation in the biopharmaceutical sector.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government's position in the renegotiation of the pharmaceutical price regulation scheme is coordinated across Government at both official and ministerial level.

Pharmacy: Private Sector

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on the viability of independent pharmacies; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Since the publication of our White Paper "Pharmacy in England—Building on strengths, delivering the future" on 3 April 2008, the Department has received a number of representations on a range of issues, including the viability of independent pharmacies. We are actively seeking feedback on the White Paper generally and on key proposals for structural change, including through the series of public events currently being held across the country.

Press

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of the press offices of  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies was in each year since 1996-97; what the cost was for each quarter since 1 April 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: A return on the number and cost of press officers in the Department's Media Centre is published at the end of each financial year. Information for the financial year 2007-08 has not yet been audited.
	
		
			  Cost of Media Centre staff, 1997-98 to 2006-07 
			   Cost (£ million) 
			 2006-07 1.765 
			 2005-06 1.772 
			 2004-05 1.471 
			 2003-04 1.284 
			 2002-03 1.077 
			 2001-02 1.279 
			 2000-01 1.233 
			 1999-2000 1.253 
			 1998-99 1.122 
			 1997-98 1.062 
			  Note: Figures exclude social security and pension costs. 
		
	
	The Department has two executive agencies. The NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency does not employ press officers, and media services are supplied by the Media Centre.
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) was set up in 2005-06 and the annual cost of providing media relations services is in the following table.
	
		
			   Cost (£) 
			 2006-07 195,675 
			 2005-06 135,166 
		
	
	Information on the breakdown of staffing and costs of non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally.

Press

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many press office staff were employed by  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies (i) in each year since 1996-97 and (ii) at the latest date for which information is available.

Ben Bradshaw: A return on the number and cost of press officers in the Department's Media Centre is published at the end of each financial year.
	Number of press officers, 1997-98 to 2007-08
	
		
			   Number of staff 
			 1997-98 15 
			 1998-99 15 
			 1999-2000 21 
			 2000-01 22 
			 2001-02 22 
			 2002-03 24 
			 2003-04 26 
			 2004-05 30 
			 2005-06 30 
			 2006-07 26 
			 2007-08 28 
		
	
	The Department has two executive agencies. The NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency does not employ press officers, and media services are supplied by the Department's Media Centre. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has employed three press officers since it was set up in 2005-06.
	Information on the breakdown of staffing and costs of non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally.

Social Services

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in each local authority area had their long-term care needs assessed as  (a) low,  (b) moderate,  (c) substantial and  (d) critical in each year since the Fair Access to Care Services criteria were introduced.

Ivan Lewis: These data are not held centrally.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Crime

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) males and  (b) females in the Chelmsford local authority area were arrested for alcohol-related offences in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The arrests collection undertaken by the Ministry of Justice provides data on persons arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences), by age group, gender, ethnicity, and main offence group, i.e. violence against the person, sexual offences, robbery, burglary, etc. More detailed data about specific offences do not form part of this collection.

Security Industry Authority

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the written statement of 31 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 29-30WS, on Security Industry Authority (entitlement to work in the UK), how many of those who have had licences revoked have also had national insurance numbers withdrawn.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply
	None of those who have had their licences revoked by the Security Industry Authority have had their national insurance numbers (NINOs) cancelled.
	The current practice is for a NINO, once allocated, not to be cancelled except in specified circumstances. This is because a NINO, even if only used for a limited period, links an individual to their national insurance contribution record, not all of which may have been accrued whilst working illegally, and to any future legitimate right to contributory benefits.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 2289-92W on apprentices, to the hon. Member for Edmonton, how those apprenticeships in Wirral Local Authority area referred to breakdown by  (a) sex of apprentice and  (b) type of occupation in which the apprenticeship was offered; if he will publish the further information he has regarding Wirral; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The information requested is provided in the following tables. I am glad our apprenticeships programme is helping so many young people in the Wirral and that the number of people completing an apprenticeship framework is increasing. In World-class Apprenticeship we outline how we will continue to expand the programme to ensure that all suitably qualified young people who want an apprenticeship will be able to do so from 2013.
	
		
			  Number of apprenticeship framework completions for the 2002/03 and 2005/06 academic years for learners residing in Wirral local authority as recorded on the Learning and Skills Council Work Based Learning Individualised Learner Record 
			   2002/03  2005/06 
			  Sector  Female  Male  Total  Female  Male  Total 
			 Asset Skills (Property and cleaning) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Creative and Cultural 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 e-skills (IT and Telecoms) 1 6 7 3 19 22 
			 Financial Services 3 0 3 1 1 2 
			 People 1(st) (Hospitality, Travel and Tourism) 26 13 39 35 41 76 
			 Skillfast (Fashion and Textiles) 0 0 0 0 5 5 
			 SkillsActive (Sport and Recreation) 4 1 5 7 24 31 
			 Skillset (Creative Media Industries) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Skillsmart Retail 30 11 41 25 18 43 
			 Automotive Skills 0 16 16 0 62 62 
			 Cogent (Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Oil and Gas) 0 1 1 0 0 0 
			 EClTB/Construction 0 14 14 1 80 81 
			 Goskills (Passenger Transport) 1 1 2 0 7 7 
			 Improve (Food and Drink Manufacture) 0 1 1 0 0 0 
			 Lantra (Environmental and Land-Based) 9 7 16 10 16 26 
			 Proskills (process and Manufacturing) 0 4 4 0 3 3 
			 SEMTA (Engineering) 0 43 43 5 47^ 52 
			 Skills for Logistics (Delivery and Storage) 0 9 9 1 5 6 
			 SummitSkills (Building Services engineering) 0 10 10 0 54 54 
			 Government Skills (Central Government) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 LLUK (HE and FE) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Skills for Care and Development 12 1 13 65 3 68 
			 Skills for Health 5 1 6 29 0 29 
			 Skills for Justice 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Sector Skills Councils sub total 91 139 230 182 385 567 
			
			 Habia (Hair and Beauty) 47 3 50 70 7 77 
			 Council for Administration 50 25 75 100 33 133 
			 Inst of Customer Service 35 12 47 50 26 76 
			 Skills for Security 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Other sector bodies sub total 132 40 172 220 67 287 
			
			 Others(1) 1 6 7 0 3 3 
			
			 Total 224 185 409 402 455 857 
			 (1) Includes other minor sector bodies or where records are incomplete.  Source: LSC Work Based Learning Individualised Learner Record

Department for Education and Skills

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will break down by subheading each line in Table 8.9 in the 2007 Annual Report of the former Department for Education and Skills.

Bill Rammell: The breakdown of the information contained in Table 8.9 in the 2007 Annual Report of the former Department for Education and Skills is already publicly available and is contained in Tables 4a, 6 and 7 of the LSC published accounts covering the period 2001-07.

Departmental Written Questions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many days it took on average to answer written parliamentary questions tabled by each hon. Member for answer by him in the last six months.

David Lammy: The Department's systems are currently unable to provide the breakdown requested and to do so would incur disproportionate cost. I can confirm that since the beginning of this Session and up to 31 March 2008 the Department has received a total of 1,151 PQs: 141 Named Day and 1,010 Ordinary Written PQs. The parliamentary team have been maintaining a manual check on all Named Day PQs to monitor the timeliness of replies and the Department's statistics for answering named day PQs for the months of November 2007 to March 2008 are shown in the table as follows.
	
		
			   Total Named Day PQs received  Total Named Day PQs answered on time (%) 
			 November 2007 46 37 
			 December 2007 23 35 
			 January 2008 16 6 
			 February 2008 17 35 
			 March 2008 27 11 
			 April 2008 15 80

Higher Education: EU Nationals

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the likely amount of bad debt arising from outstanding tuition fees from students from EU countries studying at English universities after April 2010; and what provision he has made for such debt.

Bill Rammell: Loans for tuition fees to higher education students from other European Union (EU) member states began in September 2006. The Student Loans Company has established payment arrangements for borrowers from those countries. They are informed of the methods of repayment available to them; and the SLC is putting in place enforcement procedures which will include the use of external trace agents, international debt collection companies and—where necessary—litigation against those defaulting on their repayments. Legal action against defaulting borrowers across the EU is underpinned by EC regulation 44/2001 which allows the SLC to obtain judgments in UK courts which can be enforced by courts in other EU countries.
	The salary thresholds above which borrowers repay have been set at levels appropriate to each EU member state, taking into account living costs, so that borrowers' repayments take local circumstances into account.
	Some students from EU member states will stay in the UK to work after graduation, in which case they are expected to obtain a national insurance number and make loan repayments through the UK tax system.
	While there is not yet enough information about repayments from EU students accurately to estimate a default rate there is no evidence to suggest that these students will be less likely to honour their loan repayment obligations than UK borrowers.

Learning and Skills Council for England

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will publish a reconciliation of Table 8.9 in his Department's Annual Report with Table 4a in the 2007 Annual Report of the Learning and Skills Council.

Bill Rammell: The two tables are compiled at different points in the year: the figures in the 2007 Departmental Annual Report (DAR) were based on December 2006 forecasts and the figures in the 2006-07 LSC accounts are the audited figures as at 31 March 2007. In addition, the administration budget for the LSC is not included in Table 4a of the 2006-07 LSC accounts while the European Social Fund budgets are not included in Table 8.9 of the DAR. These are the reasons for the differences that occur between these two sets of published numbers.

Overseas Students: Loans

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  what total value of Student Loan Company loans is held by students from European Union member states other than the UK;
	(2)  how many students from EU member states other than the UK hold loans from the Student Loan Company.

Bill Rammell: The Student Loans Company issued tuition fee loans to students from other European Union countries for the first time in September 2006. During the 2006-07 academic year 7,100 EU students studying in England borrowed £9.7 million in tuition fee loans. This represents 2.5 per cent. of tuition fee loans issued in England.
	The Student Loans Company has established payment arrangements for borrowers from other EU countries. Those staying in the UK are expected to obtain a National Insurance Number and make repayments through the UK tax system. If they are going abroad arrangements are in place for repayments to be scheduled and these borrowers are made aware of the methods of repayment available to them.
	So that all who can pay contribute to the costs of their education we have put in place variable threshold bands which are dependent on where the borrower lives. Effective collection across the EU is underpinned by EC regulation 44/2001, which allows the SLC to obtain judgments in UK courts, which can be enforced by courts in other EU countries.

Students: Debts

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the average debt a student beginning a higher education degree course in 2008 is likely to have on graduating.

Bill Rammell: We estimate that students beginning higher education degree courses in 2008 are likely to graduate with personal debt, on average, of some £16,000. However, the average will depend on: how many students choose to take-up a loan for tuition fees; whether those students who are eligible for grants thereby reduce how much they borrow for maintenance; and whether trends in the level of commercial debt remain stable.
	Student loans have very different features to most commercial loans. Repayment is based on income, not the amount owed. Graduates only repay once they are in work and only when their annual income reaches £15,000. Interest is charged at the rate of inflation, so students only pay back in real terms the amount they originally borrowed.
	In July last year we announced plans to introduce greater flexibility in the repayment of student loans by allowing borrowers to take repayment breaks of up to five years.
	A generous package of support is available to students, particularly those from low income households. In 2006/07 over half of eligible full-time students received a full or partial maintenance grant of up to £2,700. From 2008/09 onwards, the minimum threshold (of household income) for a full maintenance grant of up to £2,835 per year will be extended from £17,500 a year to £25,000 a year; with a partial grant available up to an income threshold of £60,005. This will mean that two thirds of all eligible students in England entering higher education in the academic year 2008/09 are expected to be entitled to a full or partial non-repayable grant—compared to just over half now.

Students: Fees and Charges

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the average annual tuition fee paid by first degree part-time undergraduates in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The information requested is not available, as it is not collected centrally. Part-time tuition fees are not regulated; each institution sets fee levels for its own courses.
	Statutory support for part-time students was first introduced in 2000/01. Part-time higher education students studying at least 50 per cent. of an equivalent full-time course can apply for means-tested course grants and fee grants. In 2006/07, we introduced the most generous package of financial support ever for part-time students in England. This included increasing the maximum fee grant by 27 per cent. and an above-inflation increase in the income threshold for receiving this support.

Students: Finance

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of first degree undergraduates with a parental household income of  (a) £25,000,  (b) £30,000,  (c) £40,000,  (d) £50,000,  (e) £60,000 and  (f) £70,000; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We have not made specific estimates of the proportion of students at each household income level. For full-time students, the recently announced reforms for 2008/09 mean we estimate that around one third of eligible students will be entitled to a full grant. These students will have a residual household income of £25,000 or less. We also estimate around a third will be entitled to a partial grant, equivalent to an income between £25,000 and £60,005.
	Due to these reforms for full-time students, by 2011, the number of students receiving some level of grant will increase by around 100,000. As part of this change, an extra 50,000 students will receive a full grant.
	For part-time students the uncertainties are greater as the student support package is generally not available to students above a household income of around £26,000 (2007/08 support).

JUSTICE

Bail Accommodation and Support Service

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many residential accommodation places are being provided by ClearSprings for  (a) persons on bail and  (b) offenders released early from jail in 2008-09; and how many such places they will provide in each of the next three years;
	(2)  what steps ClearSprings is required to take to consult local authorities before providing housing for  (a) persons on bail and  (b) offenders released early from jail; and how many complaints against ClearSprings for not consulting he has received;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to ensure that correct procedures are followed by ClearSprings to  (a) inform and  (b) consult local authorities before sourcing residential accommodation for housing (i) persons on bail and (ii) offenders released early from jail;
	(4)  pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2008,  Official Report, column 144, on what evidence he stated that Basildon council did not veto proposals by ClearSprings to purchase properties in Basildon to provide accommodation for offenders released early from prison.

David Hanson: ClearSprings have to date been asked by NOMS to provide 160 properties for those bailed by the courts or released from prison on home detention curfew. The Regional Offender Managers and Directors of Offender Management keep the requirement under review and will seek further provision and adjustments to the geographical spread as demand requires.
	ClearSprings are required to consult the police, probation and local authorities about addresses under consideration. They give an opportunity for any concerns to be registered. If there are objections these are discussed with the Regional Offender Manager/Director of Offender Management who will make the final decision on whether to proceed with an address.
	There have been a small number of complaints from or on behalf of local authorities about lack of consultation, or delay in consultation. Local authorities will not be consulted until specific addresses are under consideration.
	An audit of ClearSprings' past consultation was conducted during April and the report is expected shortly.
	We were wrongly advised by ClearSprings that Basildon district council had not responded to ClearSprings' approach to them about potential addresses for the service.

Crimes of Violence: Curfews

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice under what circumstances a judge may suspend a curfew placed on a violent offender; what procedures exist to challenge such a ruling; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: A court may impose a curfew as a condition of a community order or suspended sentence order. It would be open to the court when sentencing to make specific direction as to the start date of the curfew condition, under the general powers to impose such a condition set out in the Criminal Justice Act 2003. It is also open to the court subsequently to vary such a condition, should it see fit, upon application by either the offender or the Offender Manager.

Departmental Translation Services

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent on translation services into  (a) Welsh and  (b) other languages by his Department, associated agencies and non-departmental public bodies (i) in 2003-04, (ii) in 2004-05, (iii) in 2005-06, (iv) in 2006-07 and (v) in 2007-08.

Maria Eagle: Information on how much was spent on translation services in Welsh is not separately recorded and could be ascertained only at a disproportional cost. Total costs spent on translation services for each part of the Department are as follows:
	 MoJ HQ (including former DCA)
	
		
			  Total spend on translation services 
			£ 
			 (i) 2003-04 66,723.31 
			 (ii) 2004-05 6,709.67 
			 (iii) 2005-06 51,893.11 
			 (iv) 2006-07 259,728.29 
			 (v) 2007-08 272,877.09 
		
	
	 HMCS
	HMCS came into existence in April 2005 and therefore figures before this date are unobtainable.
	
		
			  Total spend on translation services 
			£ 
			 (i) 2003-04 n/a 
			 (ii) 2004-05 n/a 
			 (iii) 2005-06 122,000.00 
			 (iv) 2006-07 149,000.00 
			 (v) 2007-08 200,000.00 
		
	
	 Tribunals
	The Tribunals Services came into existence in April 2006 and therefore figures before this date are unobtainable.
	
		
			  Total spend on translation services 
			   £ 
			 (i) 2003-04 n/a 
			 (ii) 2004-05 n/a 
			 (iii) 2005-06 n/a 
			 (iv) 2006-07 165 
			 (v) 2007-08 5,552.25 
		
	
	 OPG
	
		
			  Total spend on translation services 
			£ 
			 (i) 2003-04 24,357.31 
			 (ii) 2004-05 7,897.89 
			 (iii) 2005-06 1,166.00 
			 (iv) 2006-07 1,976.90 
			 (v) 2007-08 65,499.68 
		
	
	 PCJR
	While OCJR did have some documents translated into Welsh throughout the years listed, details of what they were and their costs have not been retained centrally. Expenditure on translation services is not separately identifiable within the Department's accounts and may be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	 NOMS (including HMPS and Probation Service)
	NOMS do not separately identify expenditure on translation services within their accounts and data may only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

National Offender Management Information System

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been spent on his Department's Offender Management computer scheme.

David Hanson: The NOMIS Programme has been funded by the Ministry of Justice since its formation and prior to that by the Home Office. The total expenditure to the end of April 2008 is estimated at £193 million, of which £125 million was expensed in 2006/07 and earlier years. The newly revised CNOMIS Programme' to improve the sharing of vital information between public prisons and probation areas, and support the much needed replacement of at-risk IT systems will ensure both the protection of the public and the continued successful implementation of the Offender Management Model.

Prisoners

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average number of hours was a prisoner spent outside his or her cell  (a) per day and  (b) per week in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) collects time outside of cell data per weekday and therefore cannot answer the question in the format requested. The table below shows the average number of hours a prisoner spent outside his or her cell per weekday in each of the last 10 years.
	
		
			  Average time out of cell per prisoner per weekday 
			   Hours 
			 1997-98 10.9 
			 1998-99 10.6 
			 1999-2000 10.2 
			 2000-01 9.6 
			 2001-02 9.6 
			 2002-03 9.8 
			 2003-04 9.9 
			 2004-05 10.0 
			 2005-06 10.0 
			 2006-07 10.1

Prisoners: Disabled

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what requirements there are for  (a) diversity and  (b) disability training for prison officers; and what the (i) duration and (ii) frequency of the training programmes is.

Maria Eagle: Prisons and HQ groups decide what training their staff should receive within the parameters of legal requirements and the Prison Service commitment to training and developing staff. There is a variety of training, of varying duration, available to staff and managers and the overall theme of diversity, including race and disability issues, is threaded through aspects of Prison Service learning and development.
	Though embedded in training courses, diversity is specifically addressed in first line manager training as part of the Introductory Certificate in Management, and in both Operational Manager (Excellence in Management and Leadership in the Prison—EMALPS) and Senior Operational Manager (Leadership Excellence and Performance in Prisons—LEAPP) programmes. The full range of the diversity strands is also included in the Intensive Development Scheme (IDS) induction programme.
	Training for newly recruited prison officers begins with an eight week Prison Officer Entry Level Training (POELT) course. Diversity issues are threaded throughout the POELT course but there are two specific four hour sessions to address knowledge of diversity issues including disability, race, age and gender.
	Within the private sector, individual contractors are responsible for training their staff in line with current legislation specified in the contract. Arrangements are in place in all private sector prisons for Prison Custody Officers to receive diversity training.

Prisoners: Employment

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners were  (a) employed,  (b) unemployed,  (c) on short-term sick leave,  (d) on long-term sick leave,  (e) retired and  (f) on maternity leave at the latest date for which information is available.

Maria Eagle: Information on the employment related activities of prisoners is not collected centrally.
	A 2003 resettlement survey of a representative sample of 1,945 British national sentenced prisoners aged 18 and above showed that 32 per cent. of prisoners were in employment, training or education in the four weeks before custody. The proportions varied according to prisoner groups: adult men 34 per cent., women 14 per cent., young offenders 41 per cent. Of these in employment, 65 per cent. were in permanent jobs, 25 per cent. temporary and 9 per cent. under a fixed contract.
	14 per cent. of prisoners in the survey said they had never had a paid job before custody (11 per cent. of adult men; 26 per cent. of women; 25 per cent. of young offenders). Niven, S. and Stewart, D (2005) Resettlement Outcomes on Release from Prison in 2003. London: Home Office.
	More detail on the 2003 survey is available in Home Office Research Findings 248 which is available on the RDS website:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/rfpubs1.html

Prisoners: Females

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average length of time served in prison on remand was for women in  (a) each of the last 10 years and  (b) in 2008 to date; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: Data on the length of time offenders spend on remand are not routinely collected. However we can estimate the average time on remand by comparing the average remand population and total number of remand receptions each year. On this basis, the following table shows the average length of time in days spent by women on remand in prison establishments in England and Wales in each year between 1997 and 2006 (more recent data are not yet available):
	
		
			   Average time on remand 
			 1997 43 
			 1998 41 
			 1999 41 
			 2000 39 
			 2001 39 
			 2002 40 
			 2003 40 
			 2004 42 
			 2005 46 
			 2006 44 
		
	
	These figures have been estimated based on data drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisons: Basildon

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans  (a) to introduce a Titan prison and  (b) to instruct ClearSprings to acquire residential property in Basildon district (i) in 2008 and (ii) in the following three years.

David Hanson: The regional offender manager for the East of England has not yet finalised plans in relation to ClearSprings property in Basildon in 2008 for the Bail Accommodation and Support Service. If decisions are made we will inform the hon. Member.

Prisons: Overcrowding

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners were held two to a cell in cells certified for one person in each prison at the end of February 2008.

Maria Eagle: Establishments report the number of prisoners who, at unlock on the last day of the month, are held in crowded conditions. This includes those held two in a cell with a certified normal accommodation (CNA) for one (doubling). The number of prisoners who were held two to a cell in cells certified for one person in each prison at the end of February 2008 is shown in the table as follows.
	
		
			  Prison  Number of prisoners held two to a cell in cells certified for one person 
			 Altcourse 856 
			 Askham Grange 0 
			 Acklington 0 
			 Albany 0 
			 Ashfield 0 
			 Ashwell 12 
			 Aylesbury 0 
			 Belmarsh 0 
			 Blundeston 36 
			 Bedford 302 
			 Blantyre House 0 
			 Brockhill 0 
			 Bristol 150 
			 Birmingham 658 
			 Bullingdon 400 
			 Brinsford 22 
			 Blakenhurst 490 
			 Bullwood Hall 0 
			 Brixton 234 
			 Buckley Hall 58 
			 Bronzefield 0 
			 Chelmsford 292 
			 Cardiff 510 
			 Camp Hill 128 
			 Cookham Wood 0 
			 Coldingley 46 
			 Castington 0 
			 Channings Wood 32 
			 Canterbury 190 
			 Dartmoor 44 
			 Dovegate 66 
			 Drake Hall 0 
			 Durham 678 
			 Doncaster 708 
			 Dorchester 164 
			 Deerbolt 0 
			 Dover 0 
			 Downview 0 
			 Erlestoke 0 
			 Standford Hill 0 
			 East Sutton Park 0 
			 Everthorpe 140 
			 Eastwood Park 48 
			 Exeter 352 
			 Elmley 184 
			 Forest Bank 656 
			 Ford 0 
			 Frankland 0 
			 Feltham 0 
			 Full Sutton 0 
			 Foston Hall 0 
			 Featherstone 20 
			 Garth 12 
			 Gloucester 160 
			 Guys Marsh 92 
			 Grendon 0 
			 Glen Parva 324 
			 Gartree 0 
			 Hollesley Bay 0 
			 Huntercombe 0 
			 Hewell Grange 0 
			 Holme House 286 
			 Hindley 0 
			 Hull 550 
			 High Down 0 
			 Highpoint 42 
			 Edmunds Hill 0 
			 Haslar 0 
			 Haverigg 10 
			 Holloway 0 
			 Kirkham 0 
			 Kennet 312 
			 Kirklevington 0 
			 Lancaster 114 
			 Leicester 292 
			 Leeds 736 
			 Lancaster Farms 58 
			 Lindholme 120 
			 Lincoln 574 
			 Long Lartin 0 
			 Latchmere House 0 
			 Low Newton 54 
			 Lowdham Grange 88 
			 Liverpool 440 
			 Littlehey 86 
			 Lewes 152 
			 Leyhill 0 
			 Moorland 64 
			 Morton Hall 0 
			 Manchester 596 
			 Maidstone 56 
			 Mount 28 
			 New Hall 68 
			 Nottingham 332 
			 Northallerton 184 
			 North Sea Camp 0 
			 Norwich 182 
			 Onley 0 
			 Peterborough 0 
			 Portland 0 
			 Parkhurst 70 
			 Preston 680 
			 Parc 301 
			 Kingston 0 
			 Pentonville 796 
			 Rochester 0 
			 Reading 148 
			 Rye Hill 0 
			 Ranby 236 
			 Risley 92 
			 Send 0 
			 Stafford 0 
			 Stoke Heath 196 
			 Stocken 54 
			 Swaleside 28 
			 Shepton Mallet 48 
			 Swinfen Hall 34 
			 Styal 18 
			 Sudbury 0 
			 Swansea 350 
			 Shrewsbury 308 
			 Thorn Cross 0 
			 Usk\Prescoed 208 
			 Verne 68 
			 Wellingborough 8 
			 Winchester 330 
			 Wakefield 0 
			 Wealstun 34 
			 Woodhill 306 
			 Wayland 90 
			 Wymott 90 
			 Werrington 0 
			 Wolds 88 
			 Whitemoor 0 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 124 
			 Whatton 60 
			 Wandsworth 1,084 
			 Warren Hill 0 
			 Wetherby 0

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on carbon offsetting in each of the last three years; and to which companies payments for carbon offsetting have been made in each such year.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office, along with the majority of central Government Departments, is a member of the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund (GCOF). The GCOF aims to fulfil the Government's commitment to offset emissions attributable to all official and ministerial air travel in central Government. It is available to all central Government Departments and provides a simple and cost effective way to offset, as well as ensuring high environmental integrity. The GCOF runs for an initial period of three years (2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09).
	The GCOF is being managed by EEA Fund Management Ltd, which won the contract to source and deliver 255,000 Certified Emission Reduction Credits, with a provision for a further 50,000 credits, over three years from a range of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects. Credits will be supplied from the project portfolio of Trading Emissions plc, to which EEA is the investment adviser.
	My Department paid £11,384.56 into the GCOF for 2006-07, to offset some l,148 tCO2e from air travel. Data is currently being collected for the 2007-08 reporting year and will be available later in the year.

Departmental Manpower

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time employees there were in the Northern Ireland Office on (i) 1 April 2007 and (ii) 1 April 2008.

Paul Goggins: The following table shows the number of full-time and part-time staff in the Northern Ireland Office at 1 April 2007 and 1 April 2008. The figures have been taken from the figures published in the monthly manpower reports.
	
		
			   Number 
			  Number full-time staff  
			 April 2007 1,827 
			 April 2008 1,841 
			   
			  Number part-time staff  
			 April 2007 252 
			 April 2008 258

Firearms: Licensing

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether any person with a conviction for membership of a proscribed paramilitary organisation in Northern Ireland has been granted a licence to carry a personal firearm since 1998.

Paul Goggins: The Chief Constable of the Police Service for Northern Ireland has advised that the information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Offensive Weapons

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what further steps he is considering to reduce the level of knife crime in Northern Ireland following previous amnesties;
	(2)  what plans he has for  (a) a further amnesty and  (b) other measures to seek to reduce the level of knife crime in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: A number of initiatives have been introduced since the last amnesty and are now in operation across Northern Ireland to reduce the level of knife crime. PSNI have rolled out the use of metal detectors and also introduced a stop and search policy. New legislation has been introduced to make it more difficult to obtain knives by raising the minimum age limit for purchase to 18. Last month, it became illegal in Northern Ireland to manufacture, sell, hire or import samurai swords. The recent Criminal Justice (NI) Order contains powers which double the penalties for possessing a knife in public and also for selling/manufacturing/marketing knives to under 18s.
	Knife disposal bins have been retained on site at civic amnesty locations and PSNI education officers continue to raise awareness in schools on a number of key issues, including the dangers of carrying a knife.
	Knife crime is totally unacceptable. While the Government currently have no plan to re-run the knife amnesty, we will continue to consider a range of policies and initiatives to tackle knife crime in Northern Ireland.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on carbon offsetting in each of the last three years; and to which companies payments for carbon offsetting have been made in each such year.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office forms part of the Ministry of Justice. The Scotland Office has not spent anything in relation to carbon offsetting in the last three years. However, the Scotland Office is committed to playing its full part in the Ministry of Justice's Sustainable Action Plan, published on 14 March 2008. The plan included details of how it intends to achieve carbon neutral status by 2012, which will involve carbon emissions offsetting.

TRANSPORT

Roads: Freight

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what volume of freight was carried by road between Felixstowe and Nuneaton in each of the last 10 years; and what volume is projected to be carried on the route in  (a) 2009,  (b) 2010,  (c) 2011,  (d) 2012 and  (e) 2013.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not available.

TREASURY

European Union Solidarity Fund

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what  (a) gross and  (b) net amounts he expects the UK to receive from the EU Solidarity Fund to compensate for flood damage; what the reasons for the difference between the two figures are; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: The UK expects to receive €162.4 million from the EU Solidarity Fund, around £110 million at the exchange rate at the time of application. The net value to the UK of this receipt is around £31 million, calculated as the full benefit (around £110 million) minus the UK contribution through the EC Budget (around £19 million) and the resultant reduction to the UK abatement (around £60 million).

Minimum Wage: Prosecutions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 28 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 143-4W, on minimum wage: prosecutions, how many employers have accrued minimum wage arrears in relation to  (a) under five employees,  (b) five to 15,  (c) 15 to 30,  (d) 30 to 50,  (e) 50 to 100,  (f) 100 to 200,  (g) 200 to 500 and  (f) over 500 employees in each year since the minimum wage was introduced, broken down by region.

Jane Kennedy: The information is not available in the format requested.

Minimum Wage: Prosecutions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 28 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 143-4W, on minimum wage: prosecutions, how many employers have accrued minimum wage arrears of  (a) under £5,000,  (b) £5,000 to £25,000,  (c) £25,000 to £50,000,  (d) £50,000 to £75,000,  (e) £75,000 to £100,000 and  (f) over £100,000 in each year since the minimum wage was introduced, broken down by region.

Jane Kennedy: The information is not available in the format requested.

Northern Rock

Philip Dunne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to issue an invitation to tender for the role of independent valuer in relation to Northern Rock; when he expects to appoint an independent valuer; and when the independent valuer will be required to report to him.

Kitty Ussher: The position of independent valuer to assess any compensation for those affected by the transfer of Northern Rock into public ownership will be advertised shortly. The valuer's remit is set out in the Northern Rock plc Compensation Scheme Order 2008. Under the order the independent valuer does not report to the Treasury (beyond copying to the Treasury any compensation assessment notices that he or she issues).

Northern Rock: Manpower

Greg Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the headcount of Northern Rock bank was on  (a) 21 February and  (b) 30 April 2008.

Kitty Ussher: During this period of temporary public ownership, Northern Rock is managed by its board at arm's length from Government on commercial principles. It is a matter for the company's management to release specific business updates or provide any required disclosures in their audited annual report and accounts.

Northern Rock: Republic of Ireland

Greg Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the board of Northern Rock bank on the future of the bank's Republic of Ireland operations.

Kitty Ussher: During this period of temporary public ownership, Northern Rock is managed by its board at arm's length from Government on commercial principles.
	Northern Rock published a business plan on 31 March 2008. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has approved the business plan and has placed a copy in the Library of both Houses. In the business plan, the Board announced that they would retain their savings operation in the Republic of Ireland.

Northern Rock: Republic of Ireland

Greg Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the budgeted financial balance of Northern Rock Bank (Ireland) is for the financial year 2008-09.

Kitty Ussher: During this period of temporary public ownership, Northern Rock is managed by its board at arm's length from the Government on commercial principles. It is a matter for the company's management to release specific business updates or provide any required disclosures in their audited annual report and accounts.

Physical Activity Review

Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the cross-Government Physical Activity Review.

Yvette Cooper: In the context of the Government's commitment to deliver on the Comprehensive Spending Review, Olympics and Olympic Legacy, and provide a world-class community sports infrastructure, a number of Government Departments are considering the most efficient and effective way of maximising the impact of investment in sport and physical activity. Findings of this work will be integrated into a number of forthcoming announcements.

Poynter Review

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the final report of the Poynter Review will be published.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the Chancellor's statement of 17 December 2007,  Official Report, column 612.

Revenue and Customs: Correspondence

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when HM Revenue and Customs will reply to the letter of 12 July 2007 from the hon. Member for Aylesbury on the case of Mrs. H; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The hon. Member's constituent's tax credit award was affected by the administrative problem with certain claims as detailed in my written statement on 25 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 62-63WS.
	The Acting Chairman of HM Revenue and Customs replied to the hon. Member on 8 May 2008 and has apologised for the long delay.

Smoking

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many smoking shelters were built at each of his Department's London buildings in each of the last five years.

Angela Eagle: One smoking shelter was built at Trevelyan house, Great Peter street when the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) was in occupation. The shelter was modified subsequently, in July 2007, to comply with changes in legislation. OGC vacated the building in September 2007.

Smuggling: Tobacco

David Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the UK will sign the EU anti-smuggling agreement with Japan Tobacco International; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The UK is not currently party to the agreement between Japan Tobacco International and the European Community and its member states ("the JTI Agreement"). Since the launch of the Government's Tackling Tobacco Smuggling Strategy in 2000, a comprehensive range of new measures has been introduced to counter the threats from tobacco smuggling. In particular, HM Revenue and Customs have Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with all major UK tobacco manufacturers, which form a strong framework for cooperation with the industry to tackle the illicit trade in tobacco. In 2006, when the strategy was refreshed, these MoUs were underpinned with the introduction of new supply chain control legislation, which places a legal obligation on tobacco manufacturers not to facilitate smuggling, along with penalties of up to five million for those who fail to comply.
	The MoUs and the legislation cover many of the same issues contained in the JTI Agreement, though with some key differences in detail. For example, the legislation contains no significant exclusions, whereas the JTI Agreement does not cover products that have been duty paid in another EU member state and then smuggled into the UK. This would limit the Agreement's impact on the UK tobacco smuggling problem and could also cause legal difficulties if the Agreement and the UK legislation were to operate in parallel.
	It is important also to note that the UK legislation and MoUs cover all major manufacturers. This ensures a level playing field for manufacturers, as well as guarding against the risk that smuggling is displaced to products not covered by an Agreement. We are committed to keeping our position on Agreements such as the JTI Agreement under review, to take account of any further Agreements that might be signed.

Smuggling: Tobacco

David Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the effect that the Memorandum of Understanding Gallaher signed with Customs and Excise on 23rd April 2002 had on the subsequent proportion of Customs and Excise's seizures of smuggled tobacco products in 2003-04 that were genuine Gallaher brands; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publishes details of the cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco seized in its annual reports.
	The Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) agreed between HMRC and leading UK tobacco manufacturers form one strand of the Government's "Tackling Tobacco Smuggling" strategy—a comprehensive package of measures which together have resulted in a steady decline in the size of the illicit tobacco market, from around 20 per cent. in 2001-02 to around 13 per cent. in 2005-06. Levels of seizures can be affected by a number of factors, so it is not possible to attribute changes in the proportion of seizures made up of a tobacco manufacturer's genuine brands directly to a MoU. Even if it were possible, the level of seizures would be only one indicator of the effectiveness of the Government's strategy. The key indicator is the size of the illicit market. HMRC publishes estimates of the illicit market share annually in the 'Measuring Indirect Tax Losses' report, which can be found in the Commons Library. In the last few years, seizures of genuine cigarettes made by HMRC have made up a progressively smaller share of total seizures, which is a further indicator of the positive effect of the MoUs.

Social Security Benefits: Easington

John Cummings: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Easington constituency were in receipt of  (a) working tax credit,  (b) child tax credit and  (c) pension credit at the most recent date for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: Estimates of the number of recipient families with tax credits, by constituency, at 5 April 2008, are available in the HMRC snapshot publication "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Geographical Analyses. April 2008", which is available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm
	Information is not held separately for child tax credit and working tax credit.
	As at May 2007 there were an estimated 6.3 thousand individuals receiving pension credit in the Easington constituency. This information can be found on the DWP website at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/tabtool.asp

WORK AND PENSIONS

Jobseeker's Allowance: Foreign Workers

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the effect of numbers of migrant workers from other EU member states on the number of claimants of job seeker's allowance since 2004.

Stephen Timms: DWP has published research at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5A/VP29.pdf
	and also in the Library, which shows that migration from the EU accession countries has not had a significant impact on claimant unemployment.

National Insurance

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of national insurance number registrations were held by  (a) EU and  (b) non-EU nationals in each year since 1987.

Stephen Timms: Information on the stock of NINOs held in a given year is not available. The available information on the flow of NINOs registered each year is in the following tables.
	
		
			  NINO registrations to adult EU nationals (excluding UK) 
			  Year of registration  NINO registrations  As percentage of all registrations to adult foreign nationals 
			 2002-03 98,610 28 
			 2003-04 113,570 31 
			 2004-05 200,460 46 
			 2005-06 374,320 57 
			 2006-07 424,910 60 
		
	
	
		
			  NINO registrat ions to adult non-EU n ationals 
			  Year of registration  NINO registrations  As percentage of all registrations to adult foreign nationals 
			 2002-03 249,800 72 
			 2003-04 256,380 69 
			 2004-05 238,670 54 
			 2005-06 287,550 43 
			 2006-07 288,090 40 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. NIRS does not hold complete data on NINO registrations by nationality prior to 2002 so information is only provided from 2002-03 onwards. 3. Years referred to are from 6 April to 5 April. 4. Figures exclude a small number of cases where nationality is unknown. 5. Data are not held in a format which allows us to extract a figure of NINO registration to adult UK nationals. 6. When presenting an EU time series, if a country moved into the EU during the time series, that country has been included in the EU for the whole of the time series, to facilitate comparisons over time. 7. The data we hold on national insurance number registrations for overseas nationals are only available annually. 8. The figures do not include any NINOs that may have been issued to young foreign nationals under the juvenile registration process.  Source: 100 per cent. extract from National Insurance Recording System (NIRS) at 31 May 2007

National Insurance

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for a national insurance number have been refused in each of the past five years.

Stephen Timms: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Refused national insurance number applications 
			   Number of refusals 
			 2003-04 19,243 
			 2004-05 26,042 
			 2005-06 17,246 
			 2006-07 26,573 
			 2007-08 28,077 
			  Notes: 1. Each year runs 1 April to 31 March. 2. The table is derived from management information. The numbers include withdrawn applications. 3. Applications for national insurance numbers for employment purposes have automatically been subject to a proof of the right to work since July 2006; this reason for refusal therefore applies from 2006-07 onwards. 4. The figures are for adult UK nationals and adult foreign nationals.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions management information

National Insurance

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many national insurance numbers were issued in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: The information is not available prior to 2003-04. The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			   NINO Registrations 
			 2003-04 1,198,500 
			 2004-05 1,290,500 
			 2005-06 1,449,600 
			 2006-07 1,539,000 
			  Notes: 1. Source data are Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs National Insurance Recording System (NIRS 2) Management Information. 2. Reporting period is 1 April to 31 March. 3. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 4. Figures include all adult national insurance number registrations and all Juvenile Registrations on HMRC's NIRS 2 system.

National Insurance: Foreign Workers

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many national insurance numbers were  (a) allocated and  (b) refused in respect of non-EU foreign workers in each quarter since 2004; and if he will break down these figures by (i) nationality and (ii) UK region.

Stephen Timms: Information is not collated on the number of applications for national insurance numbers refused to non-EU nationals.
	The nationality breakdown of those non-EU nationals issued with national insurance numbers in 2005-06 and 2006-07 is published in the detailed tables of the "National Insurance Number Allocations to Overseas Nationals entering the UK" reports on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/niall/registration_tables.xls
	and
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/niall/registration_tables2007.xls
	The top 10 nationalities (excluding UK nationals) with the most adult national insurance number registrations for the four years 2003-04 to 2006-07 are published in Table three on page 16 of the report "National Insurance Number Allocations to Overseas Nationals entering the UK (previously Migrant Workers Statistics) 2007: Full Report" on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/niall/niall_report.pdf
	A full nationality breakdown for 2004-05 and earlier years is not available. Figures for the number of national insurance numbers issued to adult non EU nationals in 2003-04 and 2004-05 were provided in [PQ 162349] on 13 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 576-77W.
	Data by Government Office Region are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  NINO registrations to adult non-EU nationals by Government Office Region 
			   Year of registration 
			  Government Office Region  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Scotland 13,790 16,450 
			 North East 5,940 6,430 
			 North West 18,710 18,670 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 14,530 15,260 
			 Wales 5,850 5,930 
			 West Midlands 17,490 18,110 
			 East Midlands 12,720 11,990 
			 East of England 18,500 17,650 
			 South East 33,190 33,270 
			 London 129,070 125,800 
			 South West 11,670 12,740 
			 Northern Ireland 3,090 2,660 
			 Overseas Residents 2,950 3,130 
			 Total 287,500 288,090 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Figures exclude cases where nationality is unknown. 3. In order to produce a consistent time series, nationality is classified as EU or non-EU according to the country's status in May 2007. 4. Government Office Region counts are based on the most recently recorded address of the NINO recipient. 5. Columns may not sum to totals because of rounding. 6. Quarterly data are not available. Data relate to tax years 6 April to 5 April.  Source: 100 per cent extract from National Insurance Recording System at 14 May 2007 
		
	
	A regional breakdown for 2004-05 and earlier years is not available.

National Insurance: Foreign Workers

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions further to the Answer of 17 December 2007,  Official Report, column 936W, on national insurance: foreign workers, how many and what proportion of all national insurance numbers issued were issued to  (a) UK citizens,  (b) non-EU nationals and  (c) EU citizens in each year since 1987; what the percentage change in each category was in each period; and how many numbers were issued to people in each region of the UK in each category in each period.

Stephen Timms: The available information is provided in the following tables.
	 UK nationals and the juvenile registration process
	The majority of UK nationals are registered with national insurance numbers (NINOs) as part of the juvenile registration process just prior to the age of 16. Some UK nationals apply for a NINO as adults and would go through the adult NINO allocation process. The data are not held in a format which allows us to extract a figure for UK nationals.
	
		
			  Figures for the juvenile registration process 
			  Period  Juvenile registration volumes (thousand)  Percentage change 
			 2003-04 753.6 — 
			 2004-05 743.2 -1.4 
			 2005-06 722.9 -2.7 
			 2006-07 772.1 +6.8 
			  Notes: 1. Reporting period for juvenile registration is 1 April to 31 March. 2. For the majority of juveniles the registration process takes place just prior to the 16th birthday. However, some juveniles may initially miss out on this process, but can be recorded as part of this process until the age of 19. 3. There may be a small number of young foreign nationals who obtain a national insurance number through the juvenile registration process. These will not appear in the foreign nationals total for adult national insurance number registrations. However, the majority of juvenile registrations are for UK nationals.  Source: Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs National Insurance Recording System (NIRS2) Management Information. 
		
	
	 Adult national insurance number registrations to non-EU and EU citizens
	The numbers in the following tables are sourced from figures already in the public domain. They are published via DWP's National Statistics First Release "National Insurance Number Allocations to Overseas Nationals entering the UK 2006/07".
	
		
			  Adult national insurance number registrations to non-EU citizens 
			  Period  Non EU registration volumes (thousand)  Percentage change 
			 2002-03 249.8 — 
			 2003-04 256.4 +2.6 
			 2004-05 238.7 -6.9 
			 2005-06 287.6 +20.5 
			 2006-07 288.1 +0.2 
		
	
	
		
			  Adult national insurance number registrations to EU citizens (excluding UK nationals) 
			  Period  EU registration volumes (thousand)—excluding UK  Percentage change 
			 2002-03 98.6 — 
			 2003-04 113.6 +15.2 
			 2004-05 200.5 +76.5 
			 2005-06 374.3 +86.7 
			 2006-07 424.9 +13.5 
		
	
	 Adult national insurance number registrations by category and region
	The available information by category and Government office region is shown in the following tables. This information is only available since 2005-06. Information on new national insurance numbers issued to UK nationals is not available at regional level.
	
		
			  NINO registrations to adult non-EU nationals 
			   Year of registration 
			  Government office region  2005-06  2006-07  Percentage change 
			 Scotland 13,790 16,450 19.3 
			 North East 5,940 6,430 8.2 
			 North West 18,710 18,670 -0.2 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 14,530 15,260 5.0 
			 Wales 5,850 5,930 1.4 
			 West Midlands 17,490 18,110 3.5 
			 East Midlands 12,720 11,990 -5.7 
			 East of England 18,500 17,650 -4.6 
			 South East 33,190 33,270 0.2 
			 London 129,070 125,800 -2.5 
			 South West 11,670 12,740 9.2 
			 Northern Ireland 3,090 2,660 -13.9 
			 Overseas residents 2,950 3,130 6.1 
		
	
	
		
			  NINO registrations to adult EU nationals (excluding UK) 
			   Year of registration 
			  Government office region  2005-06  2006-07  Percentage change 
			 Scotland 27,550 35,980 30.6 
			 North East 5,150 6,810 32.2 
			 North West 30,130 32,860 9.1 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 22,010 26,350 19.7 
			 Wales 10,570 11,080 4.8 
			 West Midlands 24,210 29,860 23.3 
			 East Midlands 25,740 29,010 12.7 
			 East of England 34,280 35,710 4.2 
			 South East 46,680 46,830 0.3 
			 London 106,310 118,120 11.1 
			 South West 22,000 28,960 31.6 
			 Northern Ireland 13,220 16,940 28.1 
			 Overseas residents 6,480 6,440 -0.6 
			  Notes: 1. Annual periods relate to 6 April to 5 April. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Totals may not sum due to rounding method used. 3. In order to produce a consistent time series, nationality is classified as EU or non-EU according to the country's status in 2006-07. 4. These figures do not include a small number of people (historically between 500 and 800 per year) who are recorded as foreign nationals but whose nationality is unknown. 5. The figures do not included any NINOs that may have been issued to young foreign nationals under the juvenile registration process. 6. Government office region counts are based on the most recently recorded address of the NINO recipient.  Source: 100 per cent. DWP extract from the National Insurance Recording System.

National Insurance: Foreign Workers

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new national insurance numbers were registered to foreign-born individuals in each year since 1997; and how many of these numbers have had no contributions credited against them.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 10 March 2008
	The information is not available as details of a person's place of birth are not held in the National Insurance Recording System.

National Insurance: Foreign Workers

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many migrant workers have been given national insurance numbers in each of the last three years.

Stephen Timms: The number of new national insurance number registrations for adult foreign nationals by year of registration for 2004-05 to 2006-07 is published in table 2 on page 16 of the report "National Insurance Number Allocations to Overseas Nationals entering the UK (previously Migrant Workers Statistics) 2007: Full Report" on the Department's website at
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/niall/niall_report.pdf.

National Insurance: Foreign Workers

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2008,  Official Report, column 576W, on National Insurance, what the nationality breakdown is of those non-EU nationals issued with national insurance numbers in each year since 2002-03; and how many national insurance numbers were issued to  (a) EU nationals and  (b) non-EU nationals in each year from 1997-98 to 2001-02.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 31 March 2008
	The nationality breakdowns of those adult non-EU nationals issued with national insurance numbers in 2005-06 and 2006-07 are published in the detailed tables of the "National Insurance Number Allocations to Overseas Nationals entering the UK" reports on the Department's website at
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd 1/niall/registration_tables.xls
	and
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/niall/registration_tables2007.xls.
	The top 10 nationalities (excluding UK nationals) with the most adult national insurance number registrations for the four years 2003-04 to 2006-07 are published in Table 3 on page 16 of the report "National Insurance Number Allocations to Overseas Nationals entering the UK (previously Migrant Workers Statistics) 2007: Full Report" on the Department's website at
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/niall/niall_report.pdf.
	A full nationality breakdown for 2004-05 and earlier years is not available.

National Insurance: Illegal Immigrants

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many national insurance numbers issued to illegal immigrants were cancelled in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: There are only very limited circumstances in which NINOs are cancelled. It is not possible to say whether any of those numbers cancelled had been obtained by illegal immigrants.
	Where a NINO applicant is identified as an illegal immigrant, Jobcentre Plus notifies the UK Border Agency.
	I also refer the hon. Member to today's written ministerial statement on national insurance numbers.

National Insurance: Immigrants

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  when his Department began to check the national insurance numbers and the national insurance status of the illegal workers in the security industry identified in the oral statement of 13 November 2007,  Official Report, columns 531-3, on the security industry authority, made by the Home Secretary;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 18 February 2008,  Official Report, column 447W, on immigrants: national insurance, when he expects the information on national insurance numbers to be available; and what is the timescale for the exercise being conducted on determining the right to work status of EEA nationals.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 18 March 2008
	The Security Industry Authority's (SIA's) immediate priority was to complete the revocations of the licences of those who had no right to work. Only once this process was completed could the appropriate follow up action be commissioned. In accordance with this procedure, on the 7 March 2008, the SIA provided the DWP with a list of the individuals who have had their licences revoked.
	These data were shared with the DWP by the SIA as soon as it was in a position to do so, taking account of the need to ensure that only the relevant information was passed to DWP. The checking process is now under way and is expected to be completed by the end of May.

National Insurance: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many national insurance numbers were issued to  (a) UK citizens and  (b) citizens of other EU member states in Peterborough in each month since May 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 15 January 2008
	Information regarding the number of national insurance numbers issued to UK citizens in Peterborough is not available.
	
		
			  Registrations for national insurance numbers to adult nationals of EU member states (other than the UK) in the Peterborough parliamentary constituency 
			  Year of registration  Number of registrations 
			 2005-06 3,620 
			 2006-07 3,490 
			  Notes: 1. When presenting an EU time series, if a country moved into the EU during the time series, that country has been included in the EU for the whole of the time series, to facilitate comparisons over time. 2. The data we hold on national insurance number registrations for adult foreign nationals are only available annually. 3. Figures exclude a small number of cases where nationality is unknown. 4. Data for adult foreign nationals are only available at parliamentary constituency level for 2005-06 and 2006-07. 5. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 6. Years referred to are from 6 April to 5 April. 7. The figures do not include any NINOs that may have been issued to young foreign nationals under the juvenile registration process.  Source: 100 per cent. extract from National Insurance Recording System at 31 May 2007